The Dark Ninja
by AsheXChan
Summary: There's a new member of Team seven and, well, she's interesting to say the least. But she has a dark secret and even darker past. What happens when it comes back to haunt her? And what will happen when both Naruto and Sasuke fall for her? Can she choose?
1. Kakashi's Decision

**Summary: **A new girl comes to Konoha, and honestly she is a total bitch at first. But her teammates and Sensei can't help but notice there is something different about her. For one thing she is the most powerful Genin Konoha has seen in a long time, even showing up Sasuke, and the sole practitioner of a scary jutsu unheard of to anyone in the Land of Fire. For another she is completely uninterested in boys (including the worshiped Uchiha boy), something also unheard in Konoha for a teenage girl...

There is something off about her though; the way she stares off into the distance; the way she leaves the village at night when everyone else goes home; the way she trains practically every minute of every day and has even more dedication than Naruto. As she grows closer to her team, they begin to discover she has a past darker than Naruto and Sasuke's combined. But just how much of it will they learn? How much is she willing to tell them?

And what happens when Sasuke and Naruto fall desperately in love with her? What if she starts to feel the same? Who will she choose? Can she choose?

**Author's Note: **Yay first fanfic whoop whoop! ^.^ Whaddup my bitches? Name's AsheXChan! :P Okay first things first, this story is rated M for Mature. There will be violence, torture, soul-wrenching back stories, lots and lots of cussing (hehehe I have the mouth of a sailor...sorry), sexual innuendos and content and probably a bunch of other mature content that I can't think of at the moment. If any of this bothers you then I suggest you leave this story 'cause I don't like to censor myself (although I will try to keep it down, at least in the beginning).

Disclaimer: I will say this once and only once: I don't own Naruto. If I did the Akatsuki wouldn't have died, Sasuke would be a one-legged hermit living alone in the wilderness, Sakura would be able to do something other than cry for once, Tobi would NOT be Obito oh and I would be married to Itachi and the Fourth Hokage...at the same time! Imagine the sex...ahem, anyways here it is! Enjoy!

Oh and a dictionary for all Japanese words used is at the bottom ^.^

* * *

"Sooo, are we officially ninja now!?" A blonde haired, hyperactive Genin exclaimed.

"Well, since you all passed my test then the answer would be yes – I believe you are." The silver-haired Jounin said smiling under his mask; his happiness clearly shown by his one revealed eye which was closed in a half crescent shape.

"Baka we were already ninja, ever since we graduated from the academy at least." Another Genin slouched up against the fence said coolly, making no eye contact with anyone and with just a hint of hatred in his voice.

"OHHH, WHO ASKED YOU ANYWAYS? DATTEBAYO!" The blonde yelled furiously.

"Che, on second thought maybe I was mistaken. Even if you DID graduate from the academy you certainly aren't a ninja in my book."

_Oh God here they go again_. The Jounin thought to himself as his happy expression quickly changed to one of exasperation.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY TO ME, TEME?" He retaliated, shaking his fist at the other Genin menacingly.

"Did I stutter, dobe?"

The blonde's mouth dropped to the floor. "WHY I OUGHTA!" He ran up to the other ninja and stood in front of him shaking his fist with even more rage. "YOU JUST WAIT! ONE DAY I'LL BE HOKAGE AND THEN EVERYONE WILL NEED TO TAKE ME SERIOUSLY AND SHOW ME THE RESPECT I DESERVE, EVEN YOU SASUKE! DATTEBAYO!"

"Ha. Well don't expect me to hold my breath. There's no way a dobe like you will ever become a Chuunin or Jounin - let alone Hokage."

"AHHHH! I'M GUNNA MAKE YOU TAKE THOSE WORDS BACK!" He drew back to punch Sasuke but before he could he received a hard blow on the back of his head that sent him face-first into the ground.

"NARUTOOO! JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!" It was Sakura of course and she was fuming. "HOW DARE YOU TRY TO HIT SASUKE-KUN! WHY ARE YOU SUCH A BAKA NARUTO? CAN'T YOU TRY TO BE COOL LIKE SASUKE-KUN FOR ONE DAY?! I MEAN OF COURSE IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU TO BE AS COOL AS SASUKE BECAUSE HE IS SOOO COOL AND HOT AND SMART AND HE'S THE STRONGEST GENIN OUT OF ALL OF US…"

It wasn't unusual for Sakura to go on long rants about how perfect Sasuke was considering she did so constantly. Even though the three of them had only been on the same team for a mere couple of days she had already gone off countless times on how awesome Sasuke was.

"Kakashi-San I must speak with you at once." A tall brown-haired Chuunin with a large scar across his nose intervened, stopping Sakura's tantrum.

"Iruka-Sensei? What are you doing here? What's going on, 'tebayo?" Naruto said as he slowly got up while simultaneously rubbing his head.

"Not now Naruto this is important; I must speak with your sensei at once." Iruka spoke, his face serious.

"Alright guys why don't you go home and get some rest; I'll see you three here at 5 am sharp." Kakashi, the silver-haired Jounin, said as he went off with Iruka. He vaguely heard what sounded like Sakura begging Sasuke to get dinner with her and Naruto doing the same to her. He was pretty sure she smacked him on the back of the head again based off of Naruto's cry and what appeared to be another crazy rant from the emotional teenage girl. Thinking about his team made Kakashi chuckle; even though they were completely unorthodox and more or less an unmanageable and hopeless trio, he still wouldn't trade a single one of them.

"So what's going on?" Kakashi asked turning to Iruka.

"Your team must be changed, I'm afraid."

"Nani?"

"There is someone else who I think should be put under your training."

"Is that so? Well now that's certainly interesting since I'm the one who gets to choose who I wish to train, not you. Besides, I really like this team of knuckleheads; I think that they will all make great ninja one day." Kakashi took a step away.

"I'm not the only one!" Iruka blurted out.

"Hm?"

"I'm not the only one who thinks this."

"Oh yea? And who else dislikes my current team?" Kakashi questioned defiantly.

"Sarutobi-sama."

"Huh?" Kakashi spun around. "Sandaime Hokage?"

"Indeed. Sandaime Hokage-Sama himself requested that this ninja be put on your team."

"But why? What makes this ninja so special that I have to be their sensei?"

"I heard the ninja has special skills that you could help develop."

Kakashi turned around and began to slowly walk away. "There are plenty of other skilled Jounin who would be happy to help; I'm not that special. And as I said before I quite like this team. If Sarutobi-Sama has a problem with my refusal, he can bring it up with me himself."

"I just thought you'd like to know since the ninja has a lightning affinity."

Kakashi stopped again and stood still – Iruka had Kakashi just where he wanted him, and he knew it. All he needed to do to completely convince his friend was push him just a little more.

"You have a lightning affinity too, don't you Kakashi? As you know, lightning is the rarest affinity as well as the hardest to master. If I do recall correctly, you did mention something about wanting an apprentice to teach lightning release to. This could be your only chance considering there are no ninja in Konoha with a lightning affinity… "

He didn't answer for a few moments.

"Who?" He finally asked.

"What do you mean?" Iruka countered.

"You want me to take in this new ninja, but my team is full. Who would you have me replace?"

"Sakura. And don't think of it as replacing her, simply moving her to a different squad."

"But how? All of the other squads are full."

"That's not true. Ino Yamanaka of Asuma's team was moved to another squad. Seems she doesn't get along well with Shikamaru and Choji, ironically enough. Anyways, they are now short one person and could use Sakura."

"Hmm, I don't know about this…" Kakashi mumbled wearily, more to himself than Iruka.

"Well, I'm going to go meet her now. The least you can do is come and check her out."

"Her?" Kakashi's eye widened in interest.

"Yes. She is a Kunoichi and her name is Yumi."

* * *

Kakashi didn't know what to think, but since he had nothing to lose by at least meeting the girl he decided to go along with Iruka. She was in a meeting with the Third Hokage himself and, to Kakashi's surprise, several other Jounin were there as well – namely Asuma, Kurenai and Guy, along with himself and Iruka of course.

The girl sat to the left of the Hokage, her legs sprawled out in front of her and rigid arms fixed behind her back to support her tiny figure while her eyes were fixed on the ceiling with a bored expression painted across her face. Kakashi smirked under his mask and had to resist the urge to chuckle at seeing someone sitting like this; not only was her position highly unorthodox, but it was also very rude in front of several Jounin – let alone the leader of the village Hiruzen Sarutobi himself – to stray from the accepted "Indian style" posture.

"Sandaime Hokage-Sama." Iruka said as he bowed and entered the room, Kakashi following close behind at a leisurely pace. Once the duo drew near, Kakashi got a better look at the young Kunoichi. She had big, brilliant eyes that were a blinding blue and a full set of eyelashes to compliment them. Her skin was luminous – flawless – and her plump lips were fixed in a cocky smirk on her sturdy jaw. Her hair was a dark blue and while her bangs fell freely around her face, the rest was pulled in a tight braid down her back that nearly reached the back of her kneecaps.

As for her outfit, it was bland yet still looked good on her. She wore a tight-fitting black mesh shirt, which reached a couple of centimeters above her elbows, and an old, loose V-neck belly shirt over it. Kakashi couldn't help but note that her breasts, while smaller than Hinata's, were still sizeable even in her modest attire. She wore cream colored worn-down capris and had standard black sandals on her small feet. On her right thigh she had white bandages with a thin, black weapons pouch secured on top on them and she also wore a beige weapon pouch on the left side of her lower back. On her hands were simple black leather gloves.

First impression - Kakashi found her very amusing. However, as he took a seat across from the Hokage and to the left of his fellow Jounin, he soon realized that it wasn't a stretch to say that he was the only one who felt so. The other three Jounin shared looks of discontent and annoyance at her apparent lack of respect; noting this, Kakashi turned his head to the left to look at Iruka who, despite having just sat down a few moments ago, was already seething with anger as well. In fact, he was probably biting down on his tongue rather sharply in order to prevent himself from yelling at her, Kakashi deduced as his lips curled into another smirk under the protection of his mask.

"Kakashi-San, I would like you to meet-"

"Ossu, Yumi desu." Yumi said as she lowered her head and looked Kakashi straight in the eye.

The whole room fell quiet. After all, it wasn't every day that someone has the audacity to interrupt the Hokage while he was speaking, especially a random teenage girl. Shockingly, the Hokage didn't seem to mind her lack of respect one bit as he continued to sit and nonchalantly smoke his pipe. The three Jounin were clearly shocked yet they kept quiet, but Iruka was a different story.

He was practically shaking with anger at her rudeness and it wasn't long before he lost control and jumped up. "HOW DARE YOU INTERUPT SANDAIME HOKAGE-SAMA WHILE HE IS SPEAKING!" He shouted while pointing at Yumi who, much to Kakashi's surprise, simply rolled her eyes at him and averted her gaze back to the ceiling.

"Iruka." The Hokage said while still calmly smoking his pipe.

"DAKEDO, HOKAGE-SAMA-!" Iruka's head whipped around to face his ruler as he protested.

"That is enough for now."

Iruka stared at the Hokage for some time with a mixture of confusion and anger displayed across his face before he hung his head in defeat and hesitantly sat back down. Kakashi watched the entire scene and it wasn't long before his sharp mind started to piece everything together.

_I bet that's the REAL reason I was called…_ Kakashi thought to himself _Looks like I'm the last option._

As Kakashi's eye flickered between each of the three Jounin, it became very clear none of them wanted her on her team. Each of them bore an expression of disgust and shock, and all of them made no effort to hide how much they looked down at her. Kakashi naturally deduced that the reason he was summoned was because the others had straight up refused to train her.

Kakashi was about to say so when the young Kunoichi spoke up, her eyes still fixed on the ceiling. "Hatake Kakashi, Konoha's copy ninja, eh?"

"You've heard of me?" Kakashi asked, surprised.

"Oh yes. Who hasn't heard of the famous copy ninja from Konohagakure? The man with the sharingan in his left eye who copied over a thousand jutsus; the extraordinary Shinobi who made Chuunin at age six and Jounin at thirteen. Yes, I have heard of you." Yumi's words flowed smoothly, silkily.

Kakashi stared at her curiously; it wasn't every day he ran across a girl who, despite never meeting him, knew all about his career as a Shinobi.

"Is he the one with the lighting style, Hiruzen?" Yumi inquired.

The Hokage was about to affirmatively answer her question when a livid Iruka exploded yet again.

"HOW DARE YOU CALL SANDAIME HOKAGE BY HIS FIRST NAME! YOU WILL REFER TO HIM AS SANDAIME HOKAGE OR HOKAGE-SAMA OR-"

"Iruka." The Hokage spoke up once again, silencing the emotional Chuunin.

"Seriously Iruka, give it a break already. 'How dare you this' 'how dare you that', you really are quite annoying." Yumi intervened in a bored tone.

"HOW DARE YOU-"

"And repetitive." She added.

"I AM YOUR ELDER AND YOU WILL TREAT ME AND THE REST OF THE SHINOBI IN THIS ROOM WITH RESPECT!"

Yumi's eyes left the ceiling and latched onto Iruka's, sending a deathly glare his way. "And if I don't?" She spat dangerously.

Iruka's mouth fell open in shock and the guest Jounin gasped in surprise as well. Gauging by her previous dispassionate behavior no one expected her to snap so intensely – and for no apparent reason! Before anyone could reply, the Hokage spoke up.

"Iruka, do not forget you being here is strictly a privilege – not a right. I ask that you please try to control yourself or I will have no choice but to dismiss you from this meeting." The Hokage's voice was calm and strong and left an authoritative feel behind as he didn't even bother glancing up from underneath the brim of his Kage hat.

"Hokage-sama, I feel as though I must be frank with you: I do not think this girl should be trained as a ninja of Konohagakure. She is rude, arrogant and has no respect for her superiors. We do not know with certainty where she is from or even which clan she belongs to!"

"You never asked." Yumi said bluntly, her eyes long since fixed on the ceiling once more.

"Huh?" Iruka asked as he looked at her.

"You never asked where I am from or which clan I belong to." She said simply.

"Well, what is it then? Where were you born? What's your full name?"

"Hm, I'd say that's none of your damn business." Yumi replied with a smirk as Kakashi's lips betrayed him and did the same.

"THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT!" Iruka erupted as he turned to face the complacent Hokage, causing Yumi to simply roll her eyes. "HOKAGE-SAMA I ASK THAT YOU RECONSIDER YOUR-"

"Iruka, as an accomplished Academy teacher, surely you believe that all students who exhibit enthusiasm towards learning and pledge their alliance to Konoha deserve the opportunity to be trained, do you not?"

"Well, yes but-"

"And you were the one who said that she should be trained, and even found Kakashi and convinced him to come, correct?"

"But that was before I actually met the girl!"

"Iruka, I have made up my mind and now there is only one who needs to decide." Kakashi raised his eyebrow at this as the Hokage turned his attention to him. "Well, Kakashi-san?"

"…Me?" He asked as he looked at the young Kunoichi who lowered her head to meet his gaze at the same time.

"Hai. The other Jounin do not wish to take her on their teams so you are the only one left. If you agree to take her on your team, I will approve of her becoming a Kunoichi of Konoha."

Kakashi felt five pairs of eyes staring at him as his mind began to race. _Why is it always up to me? Oh well, I guess I need to make a decision right now then. This Kunoichi seems rather powerful and could be of use to Konoha. She also has a lightning affinity, meaning I can finally have the apprentice I wanted for a long time. On the other hand, she is rude and has no respect for authority. There's no telling what her real motive is or what's going on in that head of hers. And despite all of that, the Hokage trusts her completely. Is he losing his touch? Perhaps he knows more than he is letting on. Beside the point, there is something off about her, something dark…_

"Well?" The Hokage prompted.

Kakashi remained in thought for a few more moments and then shook his head and sighed. "Yumi, welcome to Team 7."

Well? Well? Well? What did you think!? Good? Bad? Horrible? Made you wanna be a better person? Gave you cancer? Lemme know!

* * *

Just a few things now. At the end of each chapter, there will be three sections. The first will be any clarifications and elaborations pertaining to the chapter. The second will be a little dictionary of any Japanese words used during the chapter. The last (which doesn't pertain to this chapter but will to future ones) is a description of any Jutsu my character Yumi uses in a chapter, both ones that exist in Naruto and ones I made up, so you can get a feel for them.

**1. **I tried, and will continue to try, and keep all characters as close to how they really act in Naruto as possible. I know Iruka is a little emotional here, but he has always struck me as an emotional guy who is a stickler for the rules. Also I realize that Kakashi may look like a little bit of a perv because the description of Yumi is from his point of view, however I don't want you to think of him as a pedophile, I was just trying to show Yumi is very pretty. I'm fudging the ages a little too. Kakashi is going to be 24-25 (instead of 26-27) in part one. Yumi, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke and all the other Genin will be 14-15 (instead of 12-13). Tenten, Lee and Neji are 15-16 (instead of 13-14).

**2**. **Dictionary**

**Baka:** idiot; fool; stupid

**Che**: Sasuke's response to almost anything; more of a grunt than an actual word; translated to 'hn' or 'hmpf'

**Dakedo**: but

**Dattebayo/'teybayo**: Naruto's verbal tic or catchphrase; roughly translated to 'believe it'

**Dobe**: dead last; loser; Sasuke's way of addressing Naruto

**Hai**: yes

**Nani**: what?

**Ossu, _ desu**: extremely rude way of introducing yourself; roughly translated to 'yo, name's _'

**Teme**: rude way of saying you; roughly translated to 'you bastard!'; Naruto's way of addressing Sasuke


	2. Special Power

**Author's Note: **Bet you didn't expect an update so quickly...well, SURPRISE MUTHAFUCKERS CAUSE HERE IT IS! Hehe but don't get used to it! I had most of this chapter planned out beforehand and writing it came easily, however in reality I am usually a big slacker who suffers from never-ending writer's block -_- sighhhhh. Anyways **I do plan on finishing this story **(and probably writing a sequel as well), it just may take some time for me to update since I am a pretty busy person. Haha jk I just like to procrastinate. You don't like it? Post a review to motivate me! :p Gah, I'm rambling again! Hope you enjoy!

AsheXChan

* * *

"GAH! WHERE IS HE?" Naruto exclaimed impatiently.

"NARUTO!" Sakura yelled. "Knock it off already! Gosh you're so annoying!"

"BUT WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR NEARLY AN HOUR NOW! HE SAID TO BE HERE AT 5 AM SHARP AND NOW IT'S ALMOST 6! DATTEBAYO!"

"AND YOU COMPLAINING ABOUT IT ISN'T GUNNA MAKE HIM COME ANY FASTER SO JUST SHUT IT, WILL YA!"

"AHH! HE JUST BETTER GET HERE QUICKLY OR I'LL-"

"You'll what?" interrupted Kakashi. He was a couple of yards away and was walking towards them now, slouched slightly in his casual posture.

"WHAT TOOK YOU?" Naruto demanded with his fist.

"Oh you know I just lost track of time while thinking about the meaning of life." He replied carelessly.

"USOTSUKI!" He shouted and pointed his finger at Kakashi.

"Well I'm here now so what does it matter?" He said stopping in front of his team. "Anyways, there has been a small change with the members of Team 7."

"Wait, but aren't we on Team 7." Naruto asked, clearly confused.

"Baka, he's talking about us!" Sakura exclaimed. "Kakashi-Sensei, please tell me that Naruto is being kicked off the team!"

"WHA-?" Naruto cried. "KAKA-SENSEI! PLEASE DON'T GET RID OF ME! I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK TO THE ACADEMY! I NEED TO TRAIN UNDER YOU SO I CAN BE HOKAGE!" Naruto pleaded as he clung onto Kakashi.

"Naruto!" Kakashi said trying to pry him off, but unable to get through to him due to his loud crying. "NARUTO!" He said louder as he finally was able to get Naruto off of him and throw him to the ground. "Calm down. You aren't leaving Team 7."

"Great." Sasuke mumbled as Naruto's eyes grew huge with happiness and he threw himself at Kakashi again.

"THANK YOU SO MUCH SENSEI! I WON'T LET YOU DOWN! I'M GUNNA BE THE GREATEST STUDENT EVER AND THEN I'LL MAKE YOU PROUD BY BEING HOKAGE! THAT'S A PROMISE! 'TEBAYO!"

_Maybe Naruto should be the one kicked off the team._ Kakashi thought, annoyed that once again Naruto was all over him.

"But Sensei. If Naruto isn't leaving Team 7, who is?" Sakura questioned.

"Ano, well, actually you are, Sakura." Kakashi said awkwardly.

Sasuke immediately jerked his head up and stared at Kakashi in disbelief. "What!?" Naruto exclaimed as he instantly let go of Kakashi and turned to face Sakura. She was in complete shock and looked rather hurt.

"I'm sorry Sakura, but it's the Third Hokage's order."

"D-does that mean I have to go back to the Academy then?" She said quietly as she looked at Kakashi, tears streaming down her face.

"No, you won't be sent to the Academy. You're going to be on Asuma's team instead. Ino Yamanaka was moved to a different squad so they need a third teammate."

Normally just hearing her rival Ino's name was enough to bring out the nasty and violent side of Sakura, but right now she was so upset and flustered that all she could muster up was a timid "I see..."

"JUST HOLD ON A SECOND! NO WAY IS SAKURA LEAVING!" Kakashi and Sasuke's eyes widened in interest and Sakura gasped in surprise. "WE ARE A TEAM AND I'M NOT GOING TO STAND HERE AND LET YOU REPLACE ONE OF MY TEAMMATES! DATTEBAYO!"

"Naruto, I already told you: this is the Hokage's decision not my own." Kakashi felt bad now telling the lie a second time; he was the one who chose to replace Sakura with Yumi, not the Hokage. In addition, he didn't expect Sakura to breakdown crying or Naruto to defend her so extremely. _Have I made a mistake?_

"Usotsuki…" Said a voice from behind Kakashi.

Now everyone except Kakashi looked confused as their eyes tried to locate the mysterious name-caller. "Huh? Who said that?!" Naruto demanded of the bodiless voice.

"You're early." Kakashi said blankly, not needing to turn his head to know who stood behind him.

"You're late." The voice countered.

"HEY! What's going on? Kaka-sensei, who are you talking to?!" Naruto shouted.

Just then a figure emerged from behind Kakashi wearing a black hooded cape that covered their entire face and body. "Kakashi chose to replace Sakura, not Hiruzen." The figure reiterated.

Again the ninja's outburst startled everyone, Sakura the most who now looked completely betrayed and like she was about to cry again. Sakura looked up at Kakashi with pleading eyes but he just hung his head in shame, silently confirming what the mysterious ninja, now in front of Kakashi, claimed.

"Who the heck are you?!" Naruto demanded, more concerned with the random person in front of him than the accusations about Kakashi.

"I'm the newest member of Team 7."

"WHAT!?" He turned to Kakashi angrily. "YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THIS IS WHO YOU CHOSE TO REPLACE SAKURA?" With no answer from him, Naruto spun on his heel and faced the mysterious ninja in front of him again. "WELL LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING! I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE OR HOW STRONG YOU ARE – THERE IS NO WAY YOU WILL EVER BE A PART OF TEAM 7! WE ARE A TEAM AND YOU ARE NOT GOING TO TAKE SAKURA'S PLACE YOU HEAR!"

"Okay." The ninja said causing everyone to gasp.

"Nani? Are you serious?" Naruto asked, completely shocked.

"Dead. On one condition though."

"Oh yea? And what is that? Let's hear it!"

The ninja raised their head up to eye level. They were roughly as tall as Sakura, but not more could be said considering the cape covered their entire body and the shadow of the hood covered their face. Suddenly, two bright blue eyes darted open defiantly. "Battle me."

"Na-nani?"

"If you can defeat me, Sakura stays and I go."

Everyone, including Kakashi, seemed rather taken aback by the ninja's claim. Kakashi almost intervened, but then he remembered what the Hokage had told him last night after Yumi and the other Shinobi left.

_"Is there something on your mind, Kakashi-san?" Sandaime Hokage asked as he casually smoked his pipe while standing in front of the large window of the Hokage building and gazing out at the peaceful night._

_"I…was just giving some thought to what Iruka had said earlier." Kakashi admitted as he tentatively walked over to the Hokage._

_"I see, having second thoughts then?"_

_"It's just, I feel as though I might have been a little to brash in my decision. As Iruka said, we barely know anything about this girl or her real intentions here."_

_"I can understand how you would feel that way, Kakashi-san." The Hokage blew out a puff of smoke. "However, just because Iruka doesn't know much about the girl doesn't mean I do not."_

_Kakashi whipped his head to the side to face his leader. "You know about her?"_

_Blowing out another puff of smoke the Hokage answered, "Indeed I do. She has resided in the Land of Fire since her birth, though not in Konohagakure. She is from an omnipotent clan that yields a great power."_

_"What clan is she from?"_

_"The name is of little importance for you have probably never heard of them." Kakashi wanted to object but the Hokage continued before he could speak. "I want you to train her Kakashi. Help her learn Lightning Release and develop her other abilities as well, including her special power."_

_"Demo, Hokage-sama-"_

_"Kakashi-san, as of now, I regret to inform you that you I can't tell you more about Yumi's past. Kakashi didn't say anything as he continued to stare at the Hokage who turned to face Kakashi for the first time. "I will now make my leave, but I leave you with this: I have complete faith in Yumi. Watch out for her and train her well."_

Remembering this Kakashi realized that if this "power" she had was enough to earn the Hokage's praise, someone like Naruto wouldn't have a chance against it. Sakura would leave either way so he figured it would be best to quietly observe.

"Fine then!" Naruto yelled. "Hey Sakura, looks like you get to stay after all 'cause this freak in the black cape is going down, 'tebayo!" He said as he got ready to fight.

Right before Naruto charged, the ninja spoke again. "Matte."

"No way! We are doing this right here right now!"

"What about your teammates?"

"Huh? What about them?"

"Aren't they going to fight?"

"What? But I'm fighting!"

"All of you are. Me against the three of you."

"Are you serious?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know why you insist on asking the same questions over and over again. Kakashi, perhaps it would be better if the girl stayed and this baka left."

"AHHHH! Fine then! You asked for it! You against the three of us!"

"Alright, alright." Kakashi said finally speaking up. At first it looked like he was going to break up the fight but then he continued. "Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, if you three can win then Sakura stays. Likewise if you lose, she goes to Asuma's team. Fair enough?" Kakashi wasn't sure whether Yumi could win against the three of them; however he was curious to see the extent of her skill. Besides, if she had to fight against Sasuke she would probably be forced to use her "special power", and THAT Kakashi was very curious about.

"Ha! You bet! Three against one, is it even a real fight?" Naruto replied cockily.

"Alright then. Ready?" Kakashi asked.

"Matte." The ninja spoke again. Everyone's eyes turned to them and it looked like they might have reconsidered.

"Don't think you can back out now! It's too late!" Naruto shouted angrily.

But the ninja smirked and said "wouldn't dream of it."

"Well then what's going on? What's keeping you?"

"This." The ninja threw their arm out from underneath the cape and slowly raised it to where it was tied under the neck. With one swift movement, the ninja undid the knot and ripped the cape off. "Can't very well fight with this thing on now can I?"

"Wha-You're a girl!?" Naruto exclaimed and Sasuke and Sakura both shared the same confused look as he did.

Yumi was wearing the same outfit that Kakashi saw her in last night but with a standard Konoha forehead protector tied loosely around her waist as a belt and one other big difference; on her back she had an archery bow and a quiver full of arrows.

"Surprised?" She asked with a smirk as her eyes focused on Naruto.

"Well, yeah. But don't think this means I'll go easy on you! I'm gunna take you down! Dattebayo!"

The ninja then took the bow off her back and held it firmly in her left hand. With the same smirk she continued: "Well then, let us begin."

* * *

"Sasuke, Sakura, don't worry. I got this one no sweat!" Naruto said confidently, moving his hands into his signature hand seal.

"Naruto! Don't underestimate her." Sasuke warned as he took out a kunai defensively.

"Urusee! Sasuke! I got this!" Naruto yelled. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Four perfect shadow clones were successfully created, and there now stood five Narutos in front of her ready to charge. "AHHH!" Naruto yelled as he and his four clones ran towards her.

Yumi didn't seem alarmed. She reached for her quiver, took an arrow out and fired it at one of the clones. She then did the same thing three other times very quickly and before anyone knew what was going on, the four shadow clones stopped in their tracks and disappeared with a puff of smoke.

_Amazing. _Sasuke thought to himself. _She hit each of the four moving clones right in the heart and all at practically the same time. The attack was fierce, precise and very fast._

Naruto, however, didn't seem fazed at all by the loss of his clones and still jumped up in the air and drew his fist back to punch Yumi. Yumi didn't move an inch until the second Naruto was about to throw his punch. At that moment, Yumi dodged it so fast that it appeared as though she vanished into thin air. "Huh?" Naruto said as he punched air.

_She's fast too. I hardly saw her move! She was there and then a second later she was just, gone. She is clearly very skilled and there is no way a baka like Naruto can keep up._

"Where are you?!" He demanded getting up from the floor. "Come out and fight you coward!"

Naruto heard a noise and whirled around just in time to see a whole bunch of arrows coming at him. Yumi had snuck up behind him and fired a series of arrows, none of which were aimed at any vitals though. In fact they didn't even hit Naruto himself; the eight arrows pierced his clothing at each shoulder blade, forearm, thigh and shin. Every one of them completely missed Naruto himself but they did catch his clothing and send him flying backwards with them into a tree where they became lodged. It was all so fast he didn't even have time to use a substitution jutsu.

Naruto was completely pinned to the tree and although he struggled he could barely move at all. Yumi turned her back to Naruto and changed her attention to the young Kunoichi in front of her who hadn't moved at all the entire time.

"Hey! Don't you turn your back to me! We're not through yet!" Naruto yelled but she ignored him. Instead she slung her bow around her back again and reached into her pouch. Before she could retrieve what she was reaching for, four kunai knives claim flying towards her from the left.

Yumi had no choice but to jump back a couple of feet to avoid being injured by the weapons. A second later Sasuke jumped in front of Sakura holding three kunai knives in between his fingers in each hand with his arms crossed in front of him.

Sakura looked extremely relieved as she squealed "Sasuke!" and smiled for the first time that day.

"Sasuke stay out of this!" Naruto said as he continued to squirm and try to free himself, to no avail.

"You're fast." Sasuke said with a smirk. "But I'm faster!" He said as he threw the six kunai knives with extreme speed and accuracy. With even greater speed and accuracy, Yumi reached into her two pouches and withdrew six shuriken which she threw to block Sasuke's kunai knives. She then grabbed a single kunai and charged at Sasuke.

Sasuke was so shocked that she had the speed and reflexes to block his attack so quickly that he barely managed to extract a kunai and protect himself from Yumi in time. Yumi swung at him constantly with such speed that Sasuke did not even get the chance to attack – he spent the whole time dodging and blocking her strikes. Yumi took advantage of her speed and got several punches and kicks through to Sasuke.

Yumi sliced his shoulder with one of her strikes and then back flipped away from him. Midair, she flung her kunai at Sasuke which he blocked with his own. Before she could hit the ground he threw his at her, but even though she was still in the air Yumi was able to gracefully dodge it and land on her feet.

_I can't keep doing this. I can barely stay with her myself – one wrong move, one second two slow and I'm done for! I need to use a stronger attack._

Sasuke was surprised; since the second he saw her he knew she was trouble. Despite this he never expected her to be this good and didn't think he would need to use his fire jutsu. Not having much of a choice, Sasuke made a series of hand signs and ended on the tiger seal. "Fire style: Fireball jutsu!"

An enormous fireball came racing towards Yumi which she dodged by jumping high in the air. Sasuke threw a handful of shuriken and several hit her core. Naruto, Sakura and even Sasuke himself seemed utterly shocked.

Before anyone had the chance to say anything, a loud 'poof' was heard and once the cloud of smoke cleared a log with four shuriken in it was seen falling to the ground. "A substitution jutsu?" Sasuke gasped as he turned around just in time for Yumi to kick him right in the face and send him flying backwards. Sasuke did a flip and landed on his feet, holding his jaw where she nailed him with his right hand.

"I have to admit, you are much better than the other one." She said with a smile. "But either way, you are finished." Yumi charged at him throwing a handful of kunai knives which hit him in his torso.

"Sasuke NOOOOO!" cried Sakura, but it was just a shadow clone and it disappeared a moment later.

"Impressive" Yumi said as she looked up and saw Sasuke heading straight for her with his kunai out. She moved but he didn't give up. Sasuke was now the one swiping at her with his kunai and she did nothing but gracefully dodge all of the attacks. When he swiped and caught some of her hair, she got slightly flustered and back flipped away from him.

_That was close. I didn't think I would have to use this, but I guess I have no other choice. _As she was flying through the air, Yumi did several hand signs and ended with the tiger seal.

"Fire style: Fire shuriken!" Sasuke yelled as he threw a bunch of shuriken that were on fire at her.

"Water Style: Water Ball Jutsu!" Yumi said as a huge water ball came from her mouth. The attack was so powerful that it not only neutralized the fire shuriken but also deflected them towards Sasuke and Sakura along with the huge wave of compacted water. Both of them widened their eyes in fear; the water was advancing so fast they barely had enough time to defensively cross their arms in front of their faces as the shuriken ripped through their clothing and skin and the water attack knocked them to their knees.

Yumi landed with ease and walked up to Sasuke and Sakura who were both shaking on their hands and knees with a few shuriken stuck in them. Sasuke noticed her drawing near and struggled to stand; before he could she made several more hand signs and slammed both hands on the puddle of water that they were both kneeling in.

What happened next was hard to explain, probably because no one had ever seen this kind of jutsu before. Even Kakashi had to stifle a gasp as the puddle of water on the ground grew cold and turned to solid ice, freezing Sakura and Sasuke to the ground on their hands and knees.

_So, this is the power Sarutobi-Sama was talking about…_ Kakashi thought. _It has to be a kekkei genkai of some sorts…_

Sakura screamed in surprise as she was now stuck to the ground and couldn't move. She turned her head to Sasuke to see that he was in a similar position, grunting in frustration as he squirmed around trying to break free.

_It's no use! _Sasuke thought angrily. _The ice is too strong to break with brute force. I can't move my hands at all either so I can't use any jutsu to help! _Sasuke threw his head up and glared at Yumi who just smirked smugly in return before turning her back to him. _Chikusho!_

Yumi now walked back over to Naruto whose mouth was wide open in shock. As she drew nearer, his face morphed to an angry glare by the time she stopped right in front of his face. "Well I guess I'm staying." She replied dominantly. She backed off a little and then punched him in the stomach with a great deal of force. He grunted in pain and she turned her back. "Name's Yumi, and THAT was for calling me a coward before." Yumi walked away from the battle scene and towards Kakashi.

"Well, there you have it." She told him. "I knew these Genin would be no match for me, and so did you. So now we can both stop pretending and start with the new team."

"Kakashi!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Naruto, I'm sorry but a deals a deal. Yumi beat all three of you fair and square, which means that she is now a member of the team."

Sasuke and Naruto were still in disbelief from the situation but Sakura looked mildly contempt.

"Yumi, can you please release them?" Kakashi asked of her. Yumi did the same series of hand seals as before only reverse and slammed her hands into the ground again. Although several yards away, she was still able to release Sakura and Sasuke from the ice by calling it to her and having it absorb into her body. Once those two were free, she went over to Naruto and pulled the arrows out to free him.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI! THIS IS CRAZY! SAKURA CAN'T LEAVE! I WON'T LET THIS GIRL REPLACE HER!"

"Na-"

"IF SAKURA LEAVES THEN I GO TOO!"

"Naru-"

"WE ARE A TEAM GODDAMNIT!"

"Naruto?" Said a quiet voice from behind him.

"Huh?" He turned around to see it was Sakura; she didn't look very happy but bore a slight smile and wasn't crying. "Sakura."

"Naruto, it's okay."

"But Sakura!"

"No Naruto we made a deal. I'm fine really, I mean I'm still gunna be a ninja and that's what matters. Besides, what means the most to me is how hard you and Sasuke fought to keep me on the team. Either way I'll be okay." Sakura walked up to Naruto and hugged him. "Thank you, really." Naruto heavily blushed and didn't say anything.

Then she went over to Sasuke and hugged him too. He wasn't happy to have her touching him but he didn't say anything, he just stayed still and wore an annoyed expression. "Thank you too Sasuke."

"Yea whatever." He said getting himself free of her hug.

"Bye guys I'll see ya around!" Sakura said as she walked away.

* * *

**1. **I think I did this chapter pretty well, despite there being a fight scene (I find it very difficult to write good fighting scenes). I also think the characters are pretty spot on (if you think differently I would like to know!). In case you didn't catch it, Yumi's "special power" is an Ice style jutsu. It's different than Haku's though 'cause it's much stronger, but all this will be explained more with time along with her past.

**2**. **Dictionary**

**Ano**: um; uh

**Baka**: idiot; fool; stupid

**Chikusho**: dammnit!; fuck!

**Demo**: but

**Dattebayo/'teybayo**: Naruto's verbal tic or catchphrase; roughly translated to 'believe it'

**Matte:** wait

**Nani**: what?

**Usotsuki:** liar

**Urusee**: shut up!

**3.** **Jutsu**

Substitution Jutsu  
Hand Sign(s): N/A  
Description: The user substitutes their real body with a log in order to escape an enemy blow. This is one of the most basic techniques that even most academy students can successfully perform.  
Rank: E  
Range: Short range

Water Ball Jutsu  
Hand Sign(s): Ram → Serpent → Dog → Boar → Horse → Tiger  
Description: A technique where water is compacted inside the body and then released from the mouth in the shape of a decent sized water ball. The water is highly compacted making the attack, while generally small, deal a rather powerful blow. Several water balls can be shot in succession as long as the user maintains focus and has enough water chakra to form them. Similar to Fireball Jutsu.  
Rank: C  
Range: Short range

Water Freeze Technique  
Hand Sign(s): Rat → Tiger → Snake → Hare → Rat → Ram → Dragon → Tiger → Ox  
Description: The user freezes an object or person to its core after they are soaked in water. Can be undone by the user performing the same seals in reverse.


	3. Unimaginable Progress

**Author's Note: **Ello luvies, another pretty fast update if I do say so myself :) Yay to productiveness! ^.^ Anyways, this is kind of a filler chapter that is intended to show Yumi's relationship with Kakashi as well as show her personality some more so just bare with me, okay? So, without further ado...

AsheXChan

* * *

"Can you see it?" He inquired.

"Hai." A girl's voice replied confidently with a curt nod of her head.

"And what is it that you see exactly?"

"I see…myself. The ground is cracking under my anxious feet and the air is vibrating around my entire body. I lust for battle."

"Okay, what else?"

"My skin, it's glowing; I look like a star or something. What's more, my body seems to have an electric current to it – I can feel the sparks dancing around on my skin."

"And?"

"….and…" The girl grew quiet. "…uhh…" The girl's eyebrow furrowed and her petit face scrunched up as she clearly racked her brain for the answer he wanted to hear.

"Uh?"

"Uh, I mean, umm…..grr forget it!" The girl shouted angrily as she opened her eyes and glared at the man in front of her, her Sensei. "Kakashi, enough of this visualization crap!" She shouted.

Kakashi sighed, clearly annoyed, before continuing "Now Yumi, we've been through this before; you need to see a Jutsu in your head before you can actually perform it, otherwise you will be unsuccessful."

"Enough of your boring lectures too!" Yumi shouted.

"If you don't start listening to me and my _boring"_, he put a heavy emphasis on the word, earning an eye roll from his perturbed student, "lectures then you won't be able to learn Lightning Release before our first mission."

"Oh, yea, because being able to _see _myself use Lightning Style Jutsu is going to be _oh so helpful _for whatever our first mission is." Yumi scoffed.

Kakashi pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed again, trying to ignore his pounding headache that she so graciously gave him. "Now listen Yumi-"

"No! I'm done listening! It's high time I start doing!" Kakashi dropped his hand and whipped his head up at this.

"Matte!" Kakashi protested, but it was too late. Yumi had already finished her signs and her hands were in the ram seal, with her eyes closed tightly in concentration, by the time his voice reached her ears.

"Okay, concentrate Yumi." Yumi muttered as she visualized herself glowing with Lightning chakra, as she had beforehand. "I can see it….I can see it…" She mumbled over and over again as she felt her bangs leave her forehead and her long braid begin to swing around wildly like she was caught in a strong wind current.

But she didn't break her concentration. She remained in the same position, all the while mumbling silently, until she felt a strong power surge from within. Keeping her hands in the ram seal, she tentatively opened her eyes.

Yumi's mouth nearly dropped to the floor in surprise; her hands were glowing brilliantly, covered with electric sparks and surrounded by a small gust of wind which pushed her hair away from her face. It was even more beautiful than she had imagined.

Yumi grinned as she realized she was successful in bringing out her Lightning chakra for the first time. "Hey Kakashi! Check this out! I told you I could do it!"

Kakashi just stared at her in disbelief; his eye wide with shock and his body and mind frozen. She had actually done it.

"Now, let's see just how good I am." Yumi muttered before increasing her chakra.

The small gust of wind generated by the Lightning chakra in her hands suddenly grew more powerful as the chakra in her hands began to grow. Yumi just watched as the chakra became more and more intense until it left her hands and started moving up her arms.

She was at a loss for words as the beautiful chakra consumed her arms. Kakashi, however, was instantly snapped out of his trance and shot his eyes up to meet Yumi's. "Yumi! Yamato-yo!"

Yumi, who now had Lightning chakra from the tips of her fingers to just above her elbows, gave him a confused look. Stop? Why would she stop? She was doing so well!

Her eyes suddenly widened as the consequence Kakashi had feared took effect. She instantly released her hands from the sign and stopped the flow of chakra, causing her arms to slowly start to fade back to their original hue.

Yumi bit her lip to prevent from screaming out in pain as she dropped to her knees. She hadn't been expecting this but now that she thought about it, it made perfect sense.

"Yumi!" Kakashi yelled as her ran to her side and knelt down beside her. As her arms began to lose their beautiful glow, they changed to an ugly, blackish color. Yumi suddenly felt very fatigued, and despite trying her hardest to fight it, her eyes slowly began to flutter shut as she fell into Kakashi's arms, unconscious.

* * *

Yumi's eyes slowly opened as she took in the scene around her: she was lying in a soft bed in a well-lit room which she presumed to be Konoha's hospital. Her arms were bandaged in white tape from her fingertips to half-way up her biceps (everywhere the Lightning Chakra had touched) and someone had removed her shirt, leaving her simply in her mesh armour.

"You're awake."

Yumi turned her head to the right and fixed them on her sensei who was sitting on a small chair in the corner of the room, reading a small, bright orange book.

"…yea I guess…" Yumi mumbled quietly. To be honest, she felt kind of guilty. If she had listened to Kakashi in the first place he wouldn't have had to bring her to the hospital and wait Kami knows how long for her to awaken.

"How do you feel?" Kakashi asked nonchalantly as he flipped a page in his book.

"I-I'm fine…" Yumi said quietly.

"Don't lie to me; you're exhausted. You used up too much chakra and that's why you passed out." He spoke calmly, all the while his eyes glued on his book.

Yumi sighed. "…You're right…" She mumbled.

"Hm?"

Yumi cleared her throat and spoke again, this time forcing her voice louder despite her exhaustion. "I said: you're right. I have been pushing myself too hard lately and I guess it all caught up with me. Gomenasai..."

Kakashi snapped his book shut and walked over to her. "It's okay. I understand you are a hard worker and all, but you need to remember to give yourself a break once in a while. Like it or not, you are only human – and a kid at that! You need to make sure to take care of yourself or you will end up making yourself even more vulnerable from exhaustion."

Yumi averted her eyes as she quietly agreed "I know I push myself way to hard sometimes, but I just can't help myself. I really want to – _have to_ – become a strong Kunoichi; there are just so many things I have to do…" Her voice trailed off.

"Either way, I'm very impressed with your progress." Kakashi said after a few moments of silence.

"Na-nani?" She stuttered as her head flew around to face her sensei.

"You were able to pull out your Lightning Chakra to the point where it consumed almost all of your arms – that's rather advanced."

"But I failed!" She protested. "After I pulled it out I couldn't control it and it scorched my arms, forcing me to stop the flow of chakra! That's why my arms are all bandaged up right now! I bet my skin is all black and gross from the Lightning chakra!" Yumi exclaimed as she pulled down the tops of her bandages on her right arm.

As she suspected, the skin was seriously singed from the chakra and her usual pale skin was a dark hue. "Look, I was right! How in the hell can you call _this _progress!" She shouted at Kakashi as she moved her arm towards him to show him her skin. As she did, Yumi grimaced slightly from the pain; after all, she managed to burn her entire outer layer of skin for both arms; needless to say, it was very painful.

"The fact that you _were _able to pull it out and control it, even if only for a short period of time, _that _is proof of your progress." Yumi opened her mouth to object, but Kakashi continued without letting her. "Yumi, you have to remember that I only started training you in Lightning Release two weeks ago. The fact that you were able to pull out that much chakra after only two weeks is truly amazing!"

Kakashi meant it when he said he was very impressed with Yumi's progress. In fact, to be more specific, he was utterly in awe of how fast she was picking it up. Two weeks ago today, Kakashi first began to train Yumi in Lightning Release. After the Team was done for the day, at roughly six pm, Yumi and Kakashi remained on the training grounds until ten pm, every night, working on her Lightning Release.

On the second night, she was able to shock him. True it had been a small shock that caused him no real pain, but the fact that she was able to use even a little of her Lightning Chakra after a mere eight hours of training – thatin itself was amazing. It took Kakashi, a man who had always been regarded as a pure genius with anything related to Ninjutsu, weeks of practice before he was able to produce even the slightest shock.

Something Yumi did in two days.

Then after only two weeks of training here and there she was able to pull out a large amount of Lightning chakra on command. Sure she couldn't control it for long, but it was still a very impressive feat; Kakashi himself couldn't have done something like that until months after practicing Lightning Release!

Kakashi thought this girl a true genius with the potential of surpassing him and countless other Jounin in due time. He just wished she could see how amazing she really was and would stop killing herself all the time. Despite his initial mixed feeling towards the girl, she was starting to grow on him the more time they spent together….

"Yea, but still…I just thought I would have better control by now, I guess." She muttered.

"Hey, you are making incredible progress! Don't worry so much kiddo." Kakashi said with a smile. Yumi half shrugged as Kakashi turned to leave. "You should get some rest; it's almost midnight."

"MIDNIGHT!?" Yumi exclaimed as she sprang up into a sitting position, her eyes wide in disbelief. "NONONO! This is throwing off my schedule COMPLETELY!"

"Yumi." Kakashi said warningly. "You need to get your rest; we just talked about this, remember?"

"But I should be practicing Taijutsu right now! NOT lying in some stupid hospital bed _resting_." She emphasized the word with a certain amount of disgust.

Kakashi sweat dropped as he sighed "Does she listen to me at all?" He mumbled.

Yumi jumped out of her bed and started putting her shirt on, mumbling all the while about how this was throwing her off and what she would have to move to tomorrow when Kakashi yelled her name again. "Yumi!"

"Huh?" Yumi had just slipped on her left glove over the bandages and was in the middle of putting on her right.

"Sleep."

"But-"

"Now." Yumi finished putting on her glove and walked over to the bed, muttering curse words.

Plopping down on the comfy bed she glared at Kakashi and crossed her arms "Happy now that you ruined my entire fucking evening workout?"

Kakashi chuckled as he walked to the door. "Oyasumi, Yumi-san." Yumi just huffed as he stopped at the door and turned to face her again. "Oh, and just to be sure you won't be tempted to go train, I'll be taking _these _with me." Kakashi said as he showed his right hand which held her bow and quiver full of arrows along with her two weapon pouches.

Yumi's mouth dropped as quickly glanced to the table on her left, the now empty table where her weapons used to be. Yumi's glare intensified; after all that _was _her plan to wait until Kakashi left and then sneak out to go practice her archery and weapons usage for a couple of hours.

"Ja ne." Kakashi said cheerily as he left with another chuckle.

"Baka yarou!" Yumi shouted after him.

Yumi, arms still crossed, leaned against the wall of the bed. She left out an irritated sigh as a nurse came in.

"Is everything alright, dear?" She asked in a sweet tone.

"Oh yes, everything is wonderful." Her reply was drenched in sarcasm but the nurse either didn't notice or chose to ignore her snide remark as she began to check Yumi's vital signs while talking about the weather or some other trivial matter.

"Alright, everything seems to be in check…" She began with a big smile that made Yumi want to gag. "Now, I'll just fix the bandages and-"

"NO!" Yumi shouted as she jumped out of bed. The nurse gave her a confused yet concerned look, so Yumi took a breath and continued in a calmer tone "What I meant to say is that won't be necessary seeing as how I am on my way out." She said with a huge smile plastered on her face.

"But my child, it says here that your arms are singed rather bad…" The nurse replied as she flipped through the papers of her clipboard.

Yumi, who was now struggling to put on her sandals, replied a little too quickly "Oh, that was just my sensei who said that; see he worries a lot and can be kind of dramatic. Anyways, he still expects me to train tomorrow so I better go home and rest up."

"But still, your arms, at least I can bandage them before you depart." She said with a smile as she looked at Yumi again.

"Sorry, but I really need to go; if I break curfew again mom'll be pissed!" Yumi said jokingly with a slight chuckle. She could be quite the charming actress when she needed to be, and right now she desperately needed to if she wanted to get any training done before the sun rose.

The nurse had a torn expression on her face as she glanced at the clipboard again "It also says your hands are-"

"Are fine!" Yumi snarled venomously as she ripped the clipboard from the woman who gasped in surprise. The charming façade she exhibited moments ago vanishing instantly as she shot a death glare at the nurse.

"It does not say that! It says that they are severely scarred and – hey give me that back!" The nurse cried as Yumi ripped off the sheet describing her 'condition' and crumpled it into a ball that she placed into her pocket before tossing the clipboard on the bed haphazardly.

"I'm leaving now." Yumi said in a serious tone as she walked past the confused, and slightly scared, nurse. Stopping in the door frame she shifted her eyes to meet hers. "If you ever tell ANYONE about my 'condition', _you'll wish you hadn't_." Yumi whispered the last part in a dangerous tone that paralyzed the nurse with fear; she was positively frightening.

Yumi walked out of the hospital calmly and then started running once she reached outside. The night air was cool against her skin and had a soothing effect on her sore arms even thru the bandages. She navigated the village with ease, but did not stop once she reached the front gates.

Yumi left Konoha and started running through the dark forest. She ran for about twenty minutes and stopped right in front of two large trees that stood about ten feet apart. There was nothing particularly special about the trees trees at first glance; they were neither bigger nor prettier than the others that plagued the forest floor, however they were _different_.

Yumi, ignoring the soreness of her arms, began rapidly forming hand signs and pretty soon the rectangular opening in between the two trees began to glow a soft blue color. She ceased her signs and allowed her body to travel through the wall of blue light that she had created. The second she entered, the wall disappeared and Yumi found herself in a certain spot – _her _spot, or so it was ever since she stumbled upon it as a child.

There was a decent sized waterfall with a pretty lake in front of her. On the banks, dozens of rare flowers grew, most glowing brilliantly from the intense light of the moon. To the left of the lake was a small clearing where she practiced her Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. The trees outlining the clearing all had targets engraved into them that were worn down and were so hard to see they could easily be overlooked.

Yumi strolled over to the waterfall and ducked behind it, revealing a small cave. She strode to the center of the room and reached up to light the lantern that hung from the ceiling, illuminating the rest of the room. The cave was small and slightly damp but she had everything in it that she needed to survive: to her left was a small cot equipped with numerous blankets and a small three legged nightstand next to it; to her right was a large desk with various scrolls, weapons, pens and books sprawled out on it; in front of her was a bookcase overflowing with, you guessed it, more books and scrolls. On the ground to the left of her bookcase was a small trunk that held towels, wash clothes and some toiletries while on the right, a decent sized box she made out of ice acted as a makeshift refrigerator home to water bottles, sushi, some frozen fish and other food items.

Yumi smiled and let out a relaxed sigh; she hadn't been to her spot for a couple of weeks and it felt good to return. Sometimes she would swear this place was her _true_ home – it was the only place she could escape reality and rejoice in solitude. But one could only escape reality for so long before they were dragged back in, and so this was more of a getaway than a home to her. But she still loved it and protected it ferociously with a special seal that requires her chakra to deactivate (the hand signs she made in front of the two trees) and invisible chakra strings surrounding the border that alert her if anyone breaches them.

She walked over to the desk and grabbed a handful of kunai as well as her spare archery bow and some arrows, then left the cave and went to the clearing. She did some target practice with the kunai knives, the moon acting as her sole source of light. No matter how many times she threw them while in the air; with one hand; upside down; eyes closed; spinning sideways – every single one was a perfect bulls eye.

Yumi yanked the kunai out of the tree for what felt like the millionth time that night and then walked back over to the spot from where she threw them. Setting the kunai knives on the ground, Yumi picked up her bow and shot a series of arrows, all bulls eyes as well. She then picked up an arrow and lightly closed her hand around the tip. She closed her eyes and her hand began to glow with a beautiful white chakra and when she removed her hand, the arrowhead was pure ice.

Wasting no time admiring her handiwork, Yumi shot the arrow at one of the targets. The area around where the arrow hit turned white as if it had turned to ice as well. Yumi formed a one-handed ram seal with her right hand and the white area on the tree spread slightly.

She frowned as she looked at the tree with disappointment "Hm, still not good enough…" She mumbled as she walked over to the tree and ripped out the arrow then put her right hand on the ice and had it absorb into her body, restoring the tree back to its original state. "it was supposed to freeze the entire tree; I guess I still need to work on that…" Yumi mused as she collected the other arrows from their respective targets.

Yumi then grabbed her kunai knives and entered the small cave behind the waterfall to deposit her weapons on the desk and exchange them for a small box. She then took off her headband and black gloves and placed them on her nightstand next to her bed and knelt down to the left of her bookcase to retrieve a towel and grabbed water and some sushi before returning outside.

Yumi plopped down on the soft grass of the bank with a light 'thud' as she began to cautiously take the bandages off her arms, trying her best to ignore the pain that followed suit. Once she removed all the bandages, Yumi grimaced slightly at the sight of her arms all scorched and singed. She then proceeded to take off all of her clothes and sandals and undid her braid, allowing her unruly blue hair to run free.

She walked over to the waterfall and jumped to the top with ease before doing an elegant swan dive off the rocks and into the lake below her. The water was cool but had an incredibly soothing effect on her arms. As she surfaced, Yumi allowed herself to float on her back and stare at the moon while soaking her arms. She closed her eyes and began to hum a song quietly, allowing the tranquility of the night to consume her.

Once she felt as though she had properly cleansed herself from the troubles of her day, Yumi swam over to the bank and pulled herself out of the lake. She reached for the towel but hesitated when a better idea struck her. She formed the signs: rat, tiger, snake, hare, rat, ram, dragon, tiger, ox. A smirk stole Yumi's face as something miraculous happened – the water on her body turned to ice flakes on top of her skin which she brushed off with ease, leaving her body completely dry.

Yumi grabbed the towel and hand dried her hair, deciding not to test her luck by trying to freeze the water on her hair for fear that she might freeze her hair along with the water on top of it, thus leaving her bald when she broke off the ice. Once her hair was dry enough, she put it in a messy bun on top of her head and wrapped the towel around her body.

She lit a small fire on the bank of the lake next to her discarded clothes and the other items she brought out earlier. Yumi opened the box to reveal a medical kit with healing balm, band aids, disinfectant, white tape and several other items. She removed a small vile of clear liquid from the box and cautiously poured a single drop on her left hand and another on her left forearm. She watched as the blackish hue began to fade and her arms nearly returned to their normal color with just a little bit of a grey tint to them. She them removed a small jar of balm and applied a liberal amount to her entire left arm and wrapped it in white tape.

After doing the same thing to her right arm, Yumi ate her sushi and drank the water. While eating, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the crumbled piece of paper she had ripped off the nurse's clipboard. Out of boredom and slight curiosity, she decided to read what it said.

"Name: Yumi, Surname: not given, Sex: Female, Age: 14, Height: approximately 5'2", Weight: 85 pounds (underweight), Blood Type: O, Occupation: Ninja….blah blah blah where's the good stuff?" Yumi said in a bored tone as she ate another mouthful of sushi and searched for the page. "Ah here it is, diagnosis: brought in by her sensei Hatake Kakashi. Lost consciousness after exhausting too much of her chakra in training. Arms moderately to severely scorched from exposure to Lightning chakra. Entire outer layer of skin singed to the point where it turned black. Surgery not required however the condition of her arms should be monitored and it is not advisable to perform any Lightning style jutsu or to overexert her arms for at least three weeks…che, as if!"

Yumi scoffed as she read the last part. "Okay what else….side note: hands appear to have more damage than just being burnt. Both hands show old scars that appear to have been inflicted months or even years before admittance. Cause of injury is unknown at this time. Several different types of scars point to several different instruments and methods used to disfigure her hands…grr like they know anything!" Yumi shouted the last part in annoyance as she tossed the paper into the fire.

She finished her sushi and then sighed in annoyance before she lay down on her back and stared up at the moon again. There was something about the moon – she felt as though she could stare at it for hours on end without boredom. Yumi let out a yawn; by the position of the moon she deduced it must be around two thirty in the morning.

Before she could even yawn again, Yumi had already drifted into a deep slumber.

* * *

Yumi slowly opened her eyes to the sound of birds chirping. She blinked a couple of times and then frowned when she realized by the morning glow in the sky that it was almost six thirty, meaning she had overslept. She sat up and stretched her arms up in the air with a big yawn before standing up and dragging her feet all the way to the cave.

Once inside, Yumi sat in front of the ice box and had some sushi for breakfast along with water. She ate rather quickly and then crawled over to her trunk and grabbed a fresh towel, washcloth, hairbrush and her toothbrush. She stepped out of the cave and used the waterfall to wash her face and brush her teeth.

Once she had freshened up some, Yumi brushed her long hair and expertly braided it before returning to the bank where she had fallen asleep last night. She sat down with her legs crossed and undid the bandages on her arms to reveal that they were as good as new, minus her hands. Like the hospital said, her hands were disfigured a long time ago and were covered in ugly scars of all shapes and sizes. Although they no longer hurt, she did find the matter particularly embarrassing which was why she always wore gloves and acted very hostile towards anyone who tried to take them off or who knew the 'condition' her hands were really in.

Yumi sighed at her hands in disgust before getting dressed and going back into the cave to put on her gloves and tie her headband around her waist loosely. She put out the lantern and exited the cave and began her morning yoga ritual, now cut in half since she slept too long. She then walked thru the spot where she had entered her spot last night and bid a silent farewell to her peaceful escape (and her sanity) as she reset the Genjutsu used to protect her hideaway and ran off to meet her team. She desperately hoped Naruto wouldn't be an annoying, hyperactive brat today and Sasuke wouldn't act like a conceited bastard either. For the first time in a long time she felt calm and at peace, and she didn't want that feeling to end with her asshole teammates.

But Yumi was never _that_ lucky.

* * *

**1. **That wasn't too bad now, was it? :P Fillers suck, but unfortunately they are a necessary evil. Anyways, you might be a little confused as to what happened so I'll explain quick. Yumi was trying to pull out her Lightning chakra so that she could mold it into an attack (i.e. Chidori), only she ended up pulling out too much and couldn't control it so it burned her skin and she fainted shortly after from using too much chakra throughout the day. As for her hands, they were burnt from the chakra however they are also scarred from something else that happened years ago. Yumi is very sensitive about the matter which is why she snapped at the nurse and threatened her if she told anyone about her hands.

The hand thing will be explained later on because it has to do with her past...andddd that's basically it. Don't forget to review! Reviews=motivation! Next chapter or two will show Yumi's relationship with her teammates and after that I'm gunna jump right into the Zabuza saga! Yeaaaaaa :DD

**2. Dictionary**

**Baka Yarou:** stupid bastard; stupid fool; dumb bastard

**Che:** more of a grunt than an actual word; translated to 'hn' or 'hmpf'

**Gomenasai:** sorry

**Hai:** yes

**Ja ne:** see you later; later

**Matte:** wait

**Nani:** what?

**Oyasumi:** good night

**Yamato-yo:** stop!; stop it!

**3. Jutsu**

Electric Current  
Hand Sign(s): Hare → Dog → Boar → Ram  
Description: A basic form of Lightning Release involving drawing out Lightning chakra and using it for attack. This jutsu has many variations; the most common of which is simply concentrating one's Lightning chakra in their hands and using it to shock someone. Skilled users can emit Lightning chakra from every point in their body at once, causing their body to glow white and shock/paralyze anyone close to them (similar to Sasuke's Chidori Current only weaker). The attack can also be used to channel an electric current through conductive weapons (i.e. sword, katana) or a body of water.  
Rank: C  
Range: All ranges

Ice Spreading Technique  
Hand Sign(s): One-handed Ram Seal  
Description: The user forms the seal to spread pre-existing ice. Only works on things that have water on or inside of them; plants, trees, humans, animals, a wet rock, etc.

Water Freeze Technique  
Hand Sign(s): Rat → Tiger → Snake → Hare → Rat → Ram → Dragon → Tiger → Ox  
Description: The user freezes an object or person to its core after they are soaked in water. Can be undone by the user performing the same seals in reverse.


	4. Tension Between Teammates

**Author's Note: **So much for the quick updates...hehe sorry, my laziness is coming out XD. Anyhow this is kinda shorter than I wanted it to be but that was 'cause I felt bad for not updating last week and felt that I should post SOMETHING. So, keeping in mind something is better than nothing, here it is...

AsheXChan

P.S. **DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! IT MOTIVATES ME!**

* * *

"AGAIN!" The blonde demanded, springing back on his feet.

"No." Yumi replied stoically as she turned her back to him.

"COME ON! JUST ONE MORE TIME!" He whined at the top of his lungs.

Yumi's fist began to shake with anger; Naruto's high-pitched voice was slowly driving her to the brink of insanity. The whole day she couldn't stop thinking: this wasn't how her day was supposed to go! After last night she had finally managed to calm herself and find some well-deserved inner peace, something she really hoped to maintain if only for one measly day…

And then Naruto happened.

After showing up nearly an hour later than Yumi, with the worst excuse in the world of helping an old lady with groceries or something of that nature, her sensei had the NERVE to pair her up with this moron for the day while he and Sasuke sparred.

Out of all the ninja in the world, Yumi got stuck with the loud and obnoxious bonehead who thought he was easily a million times stronger than he really was.

In fact the only thing the kid had going for him was his unnatural and, admittedly, astonishing stamina. No matter how many times Yumi brutally kicked his ass with her Taijutsu alone, Naruto jumped back up each time and insisted on her to do it again, with some ridiculous mindset that if he tries long enough he will magically gain the power to defeat her.

As if.

Yumi was a hell of a lot stronger than Naruto and she would certainly never lose to the likes of him. Never. As a matter of fact, she rarely lost to Sasuke either and he actually had talent. When they sparred, Yumi always had to push herself and maintain focus in order to win; the one time she lost was due to fatigue and lack of chakra.

But Naruto was an utterly different story! He was a complete joke of a ninja – and a really BAD joke at that. Naruto was a one-trick pony who thought 'fighting' meant wasting chakra on creating an unnecessary number of shadow clones and using them to bombard and overwhelm the enemy.

In theory, this wasn't an awful plan; in fact it would work well except for one tiny detail – his Taijutsu sucked! In fact it really, _really _sucked in comparison to how good Sasuke, Yumi and Kakashi were. Couple that with the fact that Naruto's speed and strength are considerably subpar, and at the end of the day all you really have are a bunch of slow-moving, loudmouth clones that aren't good at fighting and disappear after one or two solid blows.

Sure he could overwhelm an average person, or maybe even an academy student, but not a ninja like Yumi or Sasuke. He just wasn't on their level, and the fact that they both talked down to him and treated him like he wasn't even worth fighting didn't help the situation. It just made Naruto even angrier.

"I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU WERE GUNNA KNOCK ME OUT COLD, HUH?" He shouted trying, and succeeding, to antagonize her.

"I did knock you out cold – three times already! Kakashi had to come and wake you, remember aho?" Yumi hissed through gritted teeth. Her temper was her biggest weakness and after a long day of Naruto's whining and incessant talking, she was dangerously close to snapping.

"ANO…WELL…I WAS JUST GOING EASY ON YOU BEFORE! YEA! I WAS WARMING UP, BUT NOW I'M FOR REAL, DATTEYBAYO!"

Yumi's fist was now shaking again as his annoying voice rang through her ears. "If you don't shut the fuck up, I'm going to go 'for real' on you." Yumi's chakra was subconsciously being drawn to hand as her voice quavered with anger.

"HEH, YEA RIGHT! THERE'S NO WAY YOU COULD TAKE ME, AMA!"

And that was all it took to make Yumi snap.

In half an instant, Yumi whipped around and slammed her chakra-filled fist into Naruto's chest. Naruto grunted loudly upon impact and spit out a mouthful of blood as he flew backwards about twenty yards before crashing into the hard Earth. His impact caused a small crater as he slid back a couple of feet where he remained a shivering heap, laying on his left side with his eyes clenched shut in pain.

Yumi's eyes widened in shock; she knew that she had gathered chakra to her hand but she had no idea she had gathered _that_ much chakra. After the initial shock subsided, anger took its place. It was the idiot's fault in the first place for antagonizing her! She even warned him to back off!

Yumi scowled as she turned to find Kakashi so he could revive the boy for the FOURTH time that day, but a defiant voice stopped her in her tracks, "Is that-" he coughed before continuing "all you got, 'tebayo?" He spat each word at her with venom.

Her eyes widened in surprise as she whirled around to see two rebellious, brilliant blue eyes staring her down in pure hatred. Naruto was still lying on the ground, trembling slightly with a line of crimson dripping from his mouth that was open wide as he visibly struggled with each shaky breath. Despite his current state, he still managed a fierce death glare as his intense eyes bore into Yumi's.

Yumi just stood there frozen in a state of shock for several moments as Naruto continued to glare at her. _How is he still conscious? _Her mind questioned. _That blow was hard enough to knock him out 'till next week!_

As the shock slowly faded away, once again it was replaced with anger and annoyance. "Give it up gaki; you're well past your limit." She spat coldly as her face hardened.

She saw Naruto's right hand twitch and his lips curled into a snarl. "Ore wa…" He was able to crunch his hand into a tight fist as he continued; now shouting furiously "ORE WA UZUMAKI NARUTO DA! I DON'T QUIT AND I DON'T RUN AWAY! I NEVER GO BACK ON MY WORD BECAUSE THAT'S MY NINDO: MY NINJA WAY!"

Despite Naruto's unexpected outburst, Yumi's face remained cold and she displayed no emotion at all. "Tough talk from a little punk who just got the shit beat out of him." She said in a harsh tone, eliciting a cross between a growl and a hiss from Naruto, before turning around and walking off. " 'I don't run away'…che, maybe that's because you're so beaten you can't even fucking stand."

"THE ONLY ONE RUNNING HERE IS YOU, COWARD!" This made Yumi stop in her tracks. She didn't like being called a coward, especially by a little punk like Naruto. "DON'T YOU UNDERESTIMATE ME! ONE DAY, I'M GUNNA BE THE GREATEST HOKAGE KONOHA HAS EVER SEEN, YA HEAR?! AND WHEN I DO, PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND SASUKE ARE GUNNA GIVE ME THE RESPECT I DESERVE – WHETHER YOU WANT TO OR NOT! YOU JUST WAIT, YUMI! ONE DAY I'LL SURPASS BOTH YOU AND TEME, DATTEBAYO!"

Yumi was silent for a few moments. When she finally spoke up, her voice was harsh yet softer than before. "A bit of advice….grow up already, usuratonkaichi. You are a ninja now; it's ridiculous, not to mention embarrassing, to run around saying you 'never give up' and 'never run away'. It's also a lie. Everyone runs away sometimes; sometimes the enemy is just too strong that it is foolish not to. If you try to go on any real missions with a macho attitude like that, you'll die a fool's death. And what would that accomplish? Every TRUE Shinobi knows when he is outmatched and must temporarily pull back. That's something you need to learn as well if you are serious about being a ninja."

Naruto inhaled sharply but Yumi continued, denying him the chance to talk. "And another thing: cut the Hokage crap. Being the Hokage is a serious responsibility – the entire village depends on you and looks to you for support and guidance. You couldn't handle that kind of responsibility and the village would be the one to suffer. That is assuming you are actually strong enough to become Hokage in the first place, which you aren't in case you were wondering. You are nowhere near strong enough; in fact I'd be surprised if you ever graduate to Chuunin, let alone Jounin or higher."

Naruto's whole body had been shaking with raw fury while Yumi lectured him. He felt a strange surge of foreign power from within, and the pain started to dull as anger clouded his senses. "I thought…" Naruto forced himself into a sitting position. Surprised he wasn't in excruciating pain, he slowly started to get up "…I told you already…." He was now standing up, his fists shaking at his sides "DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME!"

As Yumi turned to face her teammate, she was greeted with a fist to her jawline that sent her flying backwards through the air. Despite being somewhat in a state of shock from receiving such a powerful blow from nowhere, Yumi was still able to backflip midair and land shakily on her feet as she slid back a couple more feet.

She threw her head up to see the identity of her attacker and couldn't help but gasp. It was Naruto. Or was it? It looked like Naruto, but then again it _didn't_. His blonde hair seemed a little longer and spikier and the whisker marks on his cheeks were far more defined as well. His finger nails had grown longer and sharper, as did his canine teeth which he was baring at her in an intimidating snarl. His once blue eyes had morphed to blood red and had a dangerous look to them as he stared Yumi down.

Perhaps the most surprising thing, however, was the reddish glow that seemed to radiate from his skin. It sort of looked like his body was engulfed by red flames or something; it was kinda frightening. And above all, utterly baffling.

Yumi wiped her jaw where he punched her with her right hand before crouching into an attack position; both her fists in front of her defensively as she narrowed her eyes at the man, no, _thing_ in front of her. "Okay then gaki – I see how it is. Looks like the only way to make you listen to reason, is to pound you into the ground so hard it breaks every bone in that pathetic little body of yours."

Naruto let out a low growl as Yumi pressed on. "You had your shot to get serious…" She concentrated a large amount of chakra into her fist to the point where it was glowing a light blue "NOW IT'S MY TURN!" She yelled as she charged at Naruto.

Naruto let out another growl as he too charged to meet Yumi head on. Both ninja drew their fists back, preparing to attack one another. As the distance between them grew smaller and smaller, the amount of chakra in each of their fists seemed to increase as it was fueled with anger and hatred towards the other.

Three feet.

A mere three feet was all that separated the two ninja when they simultaneously threw their chakra-fused punches. Both had a look of pure determination mixed with hatred etched onto their serious faces; both were dead set on besting the other.

However, both of their punches were caught by a strong hand that seemed to drain the chakra at the moment of impact without so much as flinching from the blow. Yumi and Naruto's heads snapped up and both stared in disbelief.

"Kakashi!"

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Both Yumi and Naruto gasped at the same time, Naruto acknowledging the man between them as his sensei while Yumi simply used his name.

Kakashi had stepped in the middle of his two students and caught Naruto's punch with his right hand and Yumi's with his left. Releasing both of his students, yet not moving from his place between them, Kakashi turned his body to face Naruto and spoke in a tone that was calm yet stern. "Naruto, I need you to close your eyes and count to ten."

Naruto, completely ignoring his sensei's request, started shouting "SENSEI! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!? I WAS FINALLY ABOUT TO BEAT YUMI!"

"LIKE YOU FUCKING COULD!" Yumi retorted loudly with an indignant scoff "YOU SHOULD THANK HIM FOR SAVING YOUR SORRY ASS!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY TO ME, AMA!?"

"HARD OF HEARING, AHO? OR ARE YOU JUST FUCKING RETARDED?"

Before Naruto could shout a comeback, Kakashi spoke up again. "Naruto, are you listening to me? Close your eyes."

Naruto, finally acknowledging his sensei, replied in a voice still soaked in anger "WHY THE HELL WOULD I DO THAT?"

"Naruto, just do it."

Naruto let out another loud growl, for the umpteenth time that day, before rolling his eyes and shutting them tightly. "Happy now, Kakashi-sensei?" He snarled thru gritted teeth.

"Good. Now count to ten."

"WILL YOU TELL ME WHAT THIS IS ABOUT ALREADY? DATTEBAYO!"

"Naruto."

Naruto let out a low hiss as he obliged. "ONE. TWO. THREE. GRR, WHY THE HELL AM I DOING THIS?"

"Just continue counting to ten, and don't forget to breathe."

Naruto took in a deep breath as he continued, "FOUR. FIVE." He took another deep breath, and as he did the red glow around his body started to disappear and his hair slowly returned to normal as well.

"SIX...SEVEN…EIGHT." His voice sounded more relaxed than before and with another deep breath, the red glow continued to dissipate even faster. His nails and whisker marks also returned to normal.

"Nine." One more breath and the reddish glow disappeared completely and his fists, which were clenched tightly in anger, went lax at his sides.

"Ten." Naruto's normal voice had returned and he seemed a lot less hostile. In fact, his voice carried a fair amount of fatigue in it as he fought to stifle a yawn after he finished counting.

"Good job." Kakashi praised Naruto. Being a Jounin who knew a great deal about Naruto's past as well as the intricacies of him being the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, Kakashi knew exactly how to handle the situation. Yumi had obviously pushed him to the point where some of the Kyuubi's chakra leaked out, and the only way to recall the chakra was for Naruto to calm down. As a matter of fact, if he was further antagonized, even more chakra would leak out. And there was no telling what would result from THAT.

"Kaka-sensei, can I open my eyes already, 'teybayo?" Naruto asked in a tired voice with a little yawn at the end.

"Yes, you may."

As Naruto's eyes slowly opened, Yumi was slightly surprised to see that they had returned to their normal deep blue color. Blinking a couple of times Naruto continued to talk, his voice heavily laced with exhaustion "Good, now will you tell me" he let out a big yawn as his legs wavered slightly from holding himself up "what that was all about?"

He could barely maintain consciousness while speaking; as soon as he finished his question, Naruto's eyes rolled into the back of his head and his legs gave out as he fell into Kakashi's ready arms.

Yumi, who had been silent the whole time, spoke in an unsure tone. "Ano….Kakashi-"

Kakashi turned his head to face his other student who looked rather puzzled. "Sorry Yumi, I need to take Naruto to the hospital." He spoke in his normal, carefree tone.

"Is he…?" Yumi didn't have the heart to finish her question. She had taken countless lives in her short life without so much as batting an eye, but Naruto was different. As much as he annoyed her, he was a comrade – it was her duty to protect him. And as his lifeless body lay in Kakashi's strong arms, eyes firmly shut and not moving an inch…

Kakashi, knowing where Yumi was going with this, answered quickly "Oh, he's fine. At least he will be soon enough. He just passed out from exhaustion." His eye closed in a small parabola and Yumi knew he was smiling under his mask. She also knew that his carefree tone and hidden smile were fake. Something was wrong.

"…..Ano….what exactly happened?" She asked tentatively.

Kakashi sighed as he hoisted Naruto onto his back. "I'll tell you when I come back." He said in a serious, almost exhausterbated tone. Yumi opened her mouth but Kakashi persisted, once again in his usual voice "In the meantime, Sasuke why don't you spar with Yumi?"

"Sasuke?" Yumi replied as she turned around to see the young Uchiha coolly leaning against the base of a large tree. Her eyes widened slightly in confusion. "Kakashi, when in the hell did teme get here?"

She turned back around to face her sensei but he was already gone. Yumi's eyebrow furrowed in bewilderment as she wondered what the hell was going on with everyone.

"Well?" A monotone voice drawled.

"Hm?" Yumi turned back around to face her other teammate; still propped against the tree with his hands in his pockets and his right foot resting vertically on the trunk of the tree.

"Are we going to spar or not, baka?" A hint of annoyance was evident in his voice as he pushed himself off the tree and approached her slowly, his hands never leaving their pockets.

Yumi, still perplexed and somewhat concerned about happened, simply nodded her head once in agreement. Sasuke took his hands out of his pockets and they both charged.

* * *

Two exhausted genin lay on the soft grass of training ground seven panting heavily. The girl sat up shakily and brushed her wet bangs out of her face. "Where….*pant*…..in Kami's name…*gasp*….is Kakashi?!"

The other genin didn't move from his position sprawled out on the ground and simply offered a light "hmpf" in between gasps for air.

The girl, with much effort, stood up. Leaning on the tree for support she looked over at her teammate who had finally managed to get himself in a sitting position. "You….*gasp*….look like crap Uchiha." She said with a smirk.

"Look….*pant*.…who's talking." He replied with a similar smirk.

"Whatever teme, we all know…*pant*…I kicked your skinny…*gasp*… pale ass."

"Tsk."

"Well, it certainly looks like you two were productive." Both looked up to see Kakashi smiling in front of them.

"WHAT…. *wheeze*…. TOOK YOU?" Yumi shouted, best she could.

"Well, you see I-"

"Nevermind...*gasp*…. forget I asked! I don't need to hear any of your….*gasp*…. pathetic excuses!"

"I wouldn't call them pathetic…" Kakashi mumbled sourly to himself before continuing. "Anyway, good job today you two. You should both call it a night and get some rest; I'm thinking about doing something a little different for tomorrow and you two will want to be at full strength."

"But what about….*gasp*….OUR training?" Yumi asked referring to their private sessions after the Team was done for the day.

"Yes, well I have some last minute errands to run so it looks like you'll have to wait until tomorrow." Yumi opened her mouth but Kakashi continued before she could start talking "Besides, it's probably better you don't use Lightning Release considering what happened yesterday."

Yumi hesitantly closed her mouth, silently agreeing with what Kakashi said. Although her arms looked normal enough, they still kind of hurt and it probably wasn't a good idea to push her luck anyways.

"Right then, I will see you both here tomorrow morning at seven am sharp." And with that he was gone.

After properly catching her breath, Yumi cast off towards her home for the night. _Wonder what errands he has to run... _She thought to herself. _And what could he possibly be plotting for tomorrow…?_

* * *

**1. **Meh, not much to explain. Yumi pissed Naruto off and then he snapped and the Kyuubi's chakra came out. I know in the anime the first time that ever happens is during the Zabuza arc, but since I'm not entirely sure how I'm gunna write that arc I thought it better to at least have him bring out the Kyuubi now so I have more leeway later on. Anddd that's about it. Pretty boring chapter but like I said I felt compelled to post SOMETHING, plus I thought it was pretty cool how Naruto stood up for himself against Yumi. It'll get better soon though I swear!

**2. Dictionary**

**Ano:** um; uh

**Aho**: idiot; dumbass

**Ama**: bitch

**Baka**: idiot; fool; stupid

**Che**: more of a grunt than an actual word; translated to 'hn' or 'hmpf'

**Dattebayo/'teybayo**: Naruto's verbal tic or catchphrase; roughly translated to 'believe it'

**Gaki**: brat

**Ore wa _ da**: tough/cocky way to say 'my name is _'

**Teme**: rude way of saying you; roughly translated to 'you bastard!'; Naruto's way of addressing Sasuke

**Usuratonkaichi**: idiot; stupid; useless


	5. Not a Date?

**Author's Note: **Yea...I've been slacking lately...but it's not my fault; I've actually been very busy lately! Being a full time student with a part time job and VERY needy friends doesn't give me a lot of spare time so I apologize for the delay. However, this is a DOUBLE update and both chapters are much longer than what I usually do so you can't hate me...well you can but that kinda makes you a douche...

Oh and to answer the question of my lovely reviewer, Yumi was able to easily defeat all three (Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura) when they first fought back in Chapter Two because of her Secret Ninjutsu - her trump card. She easily caught Sasuke and Sakura in it because they weren't expecting it. She also didn't have trouble kicking Naruto's ass in Chapter Four because her Taijutsu and speed are considerably greater than his. However when she spared against Sasuke they only used Taijutsu, which they are pretty evenly matched against, so they both ended up exhausted. Plus Yumi was distracted and they were both tired from training all day. I hate to admit it because I am NOT a fan of Sasuke, but he has always been a VERY talented ninja. If Yumi was able to take him down whenever she wanted without even TRYING she would have to be at Jounin level or higher right now and she ISN'T. If there's one thing I hate it's fanfic's where the OC is UNBELIEVABLY and IMPOSSIBLY strong and NEVER loses. This isn't that kind of fanfic. Yumi is very strong, and can take out Sasuke with her Ninjutsu for sure, but she isn't a superhuman. Sometimes she ties with him. Shit happens.

Hope that clears things up for you mon amour~

AsheXChan

* * *

It was wrong, it was all wrong. And for some reason or another it was starting to annoy the young Kunoichi who sat cross-legged with her back up against a tall tree of training ground number seven, playing with her long braid in a futile attempt to try and relieve some of her frustration.

But that didn't change the fact that it was nearly half past nine and Kakashi as well as the annoying baka by the name of Naruto Uzumaki were nowhere to be found. Now Kakashi was always about two hours or so late, so she did not worry so much about his whereabouts. But Naruto was NEVER late for training.

Despite the fact that him, Sasuke and Yumi were all very much aware of their Sensei's habitual tardiness, Naruto always showed up at the exact time Kakashi instructed them to meet up. Yumi and Sasuke had enough common sense to adjust their schedules so that they would only waste 30 or so minutes waiting on Kakashi.

But alas, Naruto lacked said common sense and was forced to wait hours for his Sensei every day. Yumi and Sasuke were both painfully aware of this fact; the moment they arrived every morning the two of them would be subjected to Naruto's incessant rants about how Kakashi was never on time and how long he spent waiting on the man.

But back to the matter at hand, Naruto was always early so the fact that he was as late as Kakashi meant something was up. She comforted herself with the self-proclaimed fact that any other day she wouldn't care – on the contrary she would be elated beyond words to discover Naruto wasn't around to pester her.

But after what happened yesterday, a very small yet annoyingly persistent part of her couldn't help but worry she had done some real damage to the kid. Especially after the way he fainted and Kakashi had to carry him off to the hospital on his back…

_What do YOU care!? You hate the kid anyways; he got what he deserved! _She inwardly chastised herself.

Yumi outwardly growled as she realized that despite hating Naruto with a passion, the thought that she did some serious damage to him made her uncomfortable. She looked over at Sasuke again who, shockingly, hadn't moved an inch since he arrived more than twenty minutes ago. He was leaning against a tree to her right, in a position very similar to yesterday, staring straight ahead with a distant look in his onyx eyes.

Taking a deep breath she decided to get a second opinion. "Yo, teme."

To her surprise Sasuke actually turned his head to face hers. "What?" His monotone voice questioned.

"Do you know why they are taking so long?"

Sasuke's eyes widened ever so slightly out of curiosity before returning back to normal. "No."

"Wow, thanks for all the help teme; couldn't have done it without you." Yumi scoffed as she rolled her eyes.

"Kakashi's late every day and I neither know nor care where Naruto is. It's not my job to keep tabs on dobe."

Yumi crossed her arms across her chest and let out another growl, still not feeling better about the situation. Seconds ticked by and her irritation grew. "WHERE THE FUCK ARE THEY!?" She yelled throwing her head back.

"Yo." A cool voice replied.

Yumi's head snapped back down to see Kakashi standing on the edge of the training ground…with Naruto to his left. She inwardly let out a sigh of relief upon seeing the kid was alright.

"What the hell took you bastards so long!?" She demanded of Kakashi.

"Well, you see-"

"Never mind, never mind! Let's just get some training done – preferably today."

* * *

After there lunch break, Yumi rejoined her teammates and sensei. "Good you are back." Kakashi spoke as Yumi sat down. "For the remainder of the time today we are going to try something a little different."

"Like what?" Sasuke's dark voice drawled.

_This is wrong, this is all wrong. Naruto…he hasn't said a single word…_Yumi turned her head to see Naruto was looking down with a cold look in his eyes and his lips set in a firm line. _In fact he hardly said anything at all today, he's acting so odd…_

"Yumi and I are going to do some private training."

"And what about Naruto and I?"

"Well, the two of you are going to train with a colleague of mine who should be arriving any moment now." Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "At any rate, Yumi are you ready?"

He stood up and took a few steps towards Yumi, snapping her back into reality. "Yes."

Kakashi put his right hand on her shoulder and moved his left hand into a seal. "We'll be back by sunset; be good you two."

"Kedo-" Sasuke's protests were cut off by a cheerful "Ja ne!" from his sensei and a large cloud of smoke where he and Yumi used to be.

"Tsk." Sasuke growled in annoyance. "Whoever Kakashi's colleague is, they better not keep me waiting as long as he does."

Naruto said nothing the entire time.

* * *

Yumi suddenly found herself landing on the floor with a 'thud' after Kakashi used his teleportation jutsu.  
"Gomen, I didn't mean to drop you like that, heh heh." Her sensei said with a nervous chuckle.

Yumi took this time to take in her surroundings. Or at least she would have if it wasn't so dark. "Where are we?" She thought he was going to take her to another training ground or something, but this place was too dimly lit to be outside even if it was a rather dark and cloudy day.

Could we be in a cave of some sorts?...No that can't be it. The floor…it's wood…an apartment maybe? She heard light footsteps and then a 'flick' that triggered the light overhead to turn on.

Well, she was right about being in an apartment. In fact she would bet a healthy lump of yen that she was in Kakashi's apartment right now. Or perhaps 'Bachelor pad' would be more appropriate.

The floor was a deep brown color and the walls a light green. Glancing around she saw that she was in a small living area next to a large leather sofa and across from a tiny kitchen area. To her left was an unlit hallway that presumably led to a bedroom and bathroom.

He had one window in the kitchen area with the dark brown curtains pulled shut, explaining why it was so dark when they first arrived. Back in the living room, there was a small coffee table with a flower pot in the center. The wall to her right caught her attention as it was covered in pieces of paper and newspaper clippings.

All in all the place was rather pleasant, little for sure, but despite its size it still had a homey feel to it which was undoubtedly...different from what Yumi was used to.

"Is this your apartment, Kakashi?" She asked slowly getting up.

"Yes, it is. It's not much, but its home." He kneaded the back of his head with his eye closed in its familiar crescent shape.

"I think it's...nice." She offered a small smile.

"Arigatou Yumi-san. Would you like some tea?"

"Sure."

As he walked to the kitchen, Yumi made her way to the right wall. Upon inspecting it she saw a lot of official papers taped to the wall; his graduation letter from the academy, his promotion to Chuunin paper, his Jounin promotion, his acceptance letter into the ANBU Black Ops, etc. She also saw several awards all signed by the Hokage for 'the greatest Shinobi of his generation' and 'his bravery and leadership during the Third Shinobi World War' and other great things he did with his life. He also seemed to hang all newspaper clippings about him or about the missions he had been sent on.

Yumi couldn't stop the small smile that appeared on her face. She would probably die before she ever admitted it, but she really admired and respected Kakashi. Hell, she was downright proud to be his gakusei. And Yumi sure wasn't the kind of person who felt that way about any old Shinobi.

"Yumi? The tea is ready."

"Okay." Tearing her gaze from the wall, Yumi walked over to the kitchen table and sat across from Kakashi.

"Doumo." She said taking the cup Kakashi had offered her, noticing that he didn't have a cup himself.

After a couple of sips, and several minutes of heavy silence, Yumi spoke up. "So...Kakashi…"

"You're probably wondering why you are here, right?"

"Well, don't get me wrong, it's nice to see where you live and all. Oh, and you make good tea too." Kakashi chuckled lightly with a soft 'arigatou'. "But, yes, I am a little confused as to what we are doing here."

"Well, to tell the truth, it's because I wanted to tell you a story."

"A story?" Yumi raised her eyebrow questioningly as she took another sip of the tea. She wasn't lying when she said she liked it; she didn't know WHAT Kakashi put in it but it was oh so good.

"Yes." His voice and face suddenly became very serious. "The story of when the Kyuubi almost destroyed Konoha, fourteen years ago."

"I heard about that." Yumi said placing her empty cup on the table. "I was just a baby when it happened, but my parents told me the story when I was older."

"What exactly did they tell you?"

"Just that the Kyuubi attacked Konoha and no matter how many amazing Shinobi threw themselves at it they were no match for its enormous chakra. It looked like the village would be obliterated, until Yondaime Hokage showed up that is. Apparently he defeated the fox and sealed its chakra inside of him, carrying its soul with him to the afterworld."

Yumi noticed Kakashi looked rather deep in thought, almost as if he was replaying what happened in his head. "He is considered a great hero, Yondaime." She added softly. It was true, her clan greatly respected Yondaime for his skill as a Shinobi and as a leader. They were all rather shocked by his death and even held the clan's standard mourning ritual for him. Not that Yumi remembered seeing as how she was just an infant, but she found out just the same.

"Why yes, he is a great hero indeed. However, it seems that your parents did not have all the facts straight."

"What do you mean?"

Kakashi proceeded to tell the story of the attack from his point of view; how he had the day off and was hanging out with his friend Guy when the Kyuubi attacked. He told her about how he and the other Chuunin and Jounin attacked the demon fox with everything they could under the direction of Sandaime, desperately hoping to save the village and the ones they loved. But it wasn't enough. They were just about to die when Minato-sama arrived, standing on the head of his summon - a giant toad by the name of Gamabunta. He talked about how Yondaime fought the Kyuubi and led it away from the village.

"Yondaime Hokage was a very skilled Shinobi, but he was also wise far beyond his years. He realized that he didn't have the power to kill the Kyuubi considering how much chakra it had."

"So, he sealed it inside of him right? Sacrificing his life to save the village?"

"Well, kinda. You see, the Kyuubi has the largest chakra reserve of all the other tailed beasts; there was no way Minato-sama could seal all of its chakra inside of himself, even if he did sacrifice his life."

Yumi's brow furrowed in confusion. "So, what did he do?" She asked cautiously.

"He used the reaper death seal to seal half of the demon inside of himself, and then he used his profound skills in Fuuinjutsu to seal the other half of the demon inside...someone else."

"Wait, so you are saying that Yondaime Hokage only sealed half of the Kyuubi in him, and he sealed the other half in a different person?"

"Exactly."

"...So, who was it then? Who has the other half of the Kyuubi sealed inside of them?"

Kakashi sighed almost as if he knew Yumi would not like the answer to her question. "Uzumaki Naruto."

Uzumaki Naruto

Naruto

Dobe

Baka

Gaki

Aho

The different names she called him spun around in her head as she tried to process what Kakashi had just told her. "N-no way!" She shook her head. "Kakashi, what the hell are you talking about!? You expect me to believe that NARUTO - clumsy, stupid, fail of a ninja NARUTO - has half of the Kyuubi sealed inside him?!"

Kakashi didn't say anything as he looked down at the table, avoiding eye contact with his enraged student. "Helloooo? Kakashi? Answer me!"

"Yes, it's true."

Yumi's mouth dropped as she stared at him for a moment. "You've got to be shitting me…" She said in disbelief as she slowly shook her head again.

"This isn't some joke Yumi!" Kakashi's voice was a lot harsher than he meant it to be; in fact she winced ever so slightly when he raised his voice at her like that. Or maybe he just imagined it. He sighed again "I already told you, Minato-sama could only seal half of the Kyuubi's chakra within himself. He needed to seal the rest of it inside someone else."

"But…it just doesn't make any sense. Naruto, he had to have been a baby – less than two months old – how could such a small being hold the Kyuubi's power, even if it was only half of its normal amount of chakra?"

"Yondaime was very good at Fuuinjutsu. The seal he used on Naruto was strong enough to make sure that the Kyuubi couldn't escape."

"I…can't believe it…" She said slowly, staring at the table. Could someone like Naruto really hold that much power inside of him?

They sat in silence for a few minutes, each deep in thought. "Yumi, do you know why I told you that story?"

Yumi thought for a few seconds before she replied. "You want me to stop belittling Naruto, because underneath all that failure and stupidity is a demon fox that could wreak havoc and destroy the world?" Her voice was stained with bitterness and sarcasm.

Kakashi sighed. "You're still not getting it, are you?"

"What's there to get!?" Yumi found herself growing angrier and angrier. "Naruto has the Kyuubi sealed in him! He has the potential to be the strongest Shinobi Konoha has ever seen – is that what you are looking for? Well, I don't care how strong his chakra is; I won't let him beat me! Ever!"

"I didn't tell you this to make you feel inferior to Naruto in any way."

"Then what do you want from me!?"

Kakashi rubbed the side of his head and closed his one revealed eye. "Yumi, it looks like I have another story to tell you."

"What story?!" She shot. For some reason, she was really angry to find out Naruto had such a power inside of him. If she didn't know any better, she would have called it jealousy. Here Naruto had an endless reserve of incredible chakra to tap into whenever he wanted, while she fought and suffered every day of her life to get where she was now.

"The story of a child orphaned from the Kyuubi's attack on Konoha, and his struggle to grow in a world where everyone wanted him dead."

* * *

A powerful kick to the abdomen sent Yumi flying into the ground with such force she skidded back several feet before finally coming to a halt. Sprawled defenseless on the ground she erupted into a coughing fit as her attacker slowly approached her.

"Perhaps that is enough for now." He extended his hand to her.

"N-no. Not yet." She stuttered in between coughs.

"Yumi..." He said with a frown.

"Just o-one more time. Please, K-Kakashi." Yumi begged as her coughing finally died down to heavy pants.

"Very well, but only once more. This is clearly exhausting you."

"Heh. Don't worry about me. I can take it." She panted with a smirk as she took her sensei's hand.

"Alright, are you ready?" Kakashi asked.

"Damn straight!" Yumi's eyes fluttered shut as she began weaving signs, pausing on the ram seal. She took a few deep breaths and by the time she opened her eyes, her hands were covered in electric spars.

Kakashi hadn't been totally lying when he told Sasuke that he wanted to train Yumi alone. After he finished telling her Naruto's story, he teleported them both out of his apartment and to training ground number three so that he could teach her a new technique. Seeing her pull out so much Lightning chakra a couple of days ago made Kakashi realize her amazing chakra control. Knowing this, he invented a new technique for her that involved drawing out just enough chakra to cover her hands, and then attacking an opponent head on with Taijutsu.

Unfortunately for her this technique was a lot harder than it sounded. Not only did she have to concentrate hard to pull out her Lightning chakra, but she also had to keep her focus the entire time to make sure the balance of chakra was just right; if she pulled out too much chakra then she ran the risk of losing control and having it singe her arms like it did a couple of nights ago, too little and the technique would fail altogether.

And on top of all of this she had to focus on her Taijutsu while fighting an expert opponent, Kakashi.

So far today, Yumi had first worked on pulling out her lightning chakra and determining her balance. Afterwards she tried to maintain said balance while attacking Kakashi – the hard part. As of now her limit was about a minute and a half before she either lost focus on her chakra and her hands went back to normal, or she lost focus on the battle and Kakashi kicked her ass into the ground…literally.

For most ninja it would take years to master a technique of this caliber, but Yumi wasn't most ninja. Sure she was nowhere near mastering it, but the little progress she made today alone astounded Kakashi to no end as it would've taken someone like himself months to do.

Half an instant after Yumi opened her eyes she charged her sensei. Balling her left hand into a fist she aimed to punch Kakashi in the face. He stealthily dodged to his left, unknowingly moving into her right fist that was aimed for his chest. His eye widened in shock as he blocked her attack by grabbing her fist with his left hand, wincing slightly from the pain of the electric shock.

Yumi ripped her fist from his grip just as he dropped down and did a low sweep kick to try and knock her off her feet. Yumi avoided the attack by jumping up in the air and back flipping away, trying to nail him in the face with her foot in the progress. Kakashi narrowly dodged by jumping back a couple of feet, still crouching.

Before Yumi could even land, Kakashi had charged. He aimed to punch her in the face but ended up grazing the top of her head when she ducked into a squatting position. Jumping up, Yumi tried to hit Kakashi's face again with a vertical kick. He easily spun around her leg and extended his right leg which connected with her side, sending her flying to her left.

Yumi grunted from the impact and stood up just in time to catch Kakashi's kick with both of her hands which still had a faint current to them. If Kakashi was in pain he didn't show it as he jumped off the ground with his other leg and nailed Yumi in the face. Yumi stumbled back several feet and dropped his leg.

He landed smoothly and punched her in the face with a right hook the second she looked up. Yumi fell backwards and played it off with a back handspring. On her feet again, she blocked Kakashi's left hook with her right forearm but failed to block his right punch to her torso that sent her flying backwards.

Yumi grunted again as she roughly collided with the ground.

"It's over." Her sensei was standing casually in front of her with his hands in his pockets, barely breathing heavier than normal while she was panting and shaking with exhaustion. "You've done well."

"It's o-only been one mi-nute!" She objected between gasps for air.

"Yumi, we have been doing this for hours now; you have reached your limit."

Yumi growled angrily and looked down at her hands. They still had a faint current to them but they looked like they were about to die out very soon.

"Look, don't be upset with yourself. You will have the chance to try again tomorrow."

Yumi's hands balled into fists. She didn't want to wait until tomorrow, especially not since she didn't even last over a minute in her last attempt. Sure she was tired, exhausted actually, but Naruto seemed to get stronger and stronger with exhaustion – so why couldn't she?

"Besides, we should be getting back to Sasuke and Naru-"

"NO!" Yumi shouted, silencing her sensei. "I'M NOT DONE YET!" She reformed the ram seal and closed her eyes.

Before she could draw out any chakra, however, she felt a strong hand grab her wrist "You've done well." He repeated in a soft tone.

Yumi glared at him but it wasn't long before her glare died and a very small smile stole its place. Looking at the ground she sighed "You're right Kakashi; I'm fucking beat."

Kakashi chuckled warm heartedly as he slowly helped her to his feet. "Don't worry kiddo, once we rejoin with Naruto and Sasuke then I'll release the three of you for the night." He started walking towards the other training ground.

Yumi followed but froze in place when she realized something. "Something wrong, Yumi-san?" Kakashi turned around to face her.

"Ne, Kakashi, could I maybe meet you there in like half an hour?" She asked awkwardly.

"Hm?" He cocked his head to the side ever so slightly.

"It's just, I was kinda hoping I could change first, maybe…" Her voice trailed off as she rubbed the back of her head with her right hand.

"Wh….?" Kakashi paused when he realized the state she was in. Her hair was wild and falling out of its braid while her wet bangs seemed plastered to her forehead. As for her skin it had bruises and cuts all over as if she went rolling around in a thorn bush for a couple of hours. But the worst part was definitely her outfit, her LACK of outfit.

As Kakashi noted when he first met her, her outfit was simple and very worn down. After today it was practically in pieces. Her right sleeve had fallen off sometime in the beginning of her private training session and the left one was all cut up and literally hanging on by a few strands. Her mesh armour had a huge rip in it that exposed her tone stomach as well as several other tears. And her pants, well they were ripped and falling apart too.

"Right." Kakashi turned back around. "I'll meet you there in forty five minutes." He walked off again.

Yumi let out a sigh as she dropped her arm. Clearly the Lightning chakra had been too much on her old outfit and now she needed a new one, preferably one with no sleeves to get in her way since she focused most of the chakra on her hands and arms.

After composing herself a few seconds longer, Yumi ran off to her spot. She undid the Genjutsu easily and entered the cave under the waterfall. Lighting the lantern she sat down in front of the trunk that was to the left of her bookcase.

At the very bottom of the trunk was something that she absolutely detested. Scowling she removed the item, realizing she didn't have much of a choice. Holding the dress in front of her, Yumi couldn't help but grimace at the sight. She hadn't worn anything this feminine since….well since she was happy. And that was a very long time ago.

Yumi growled as she placed the 'garment' on the floor and began to undress out of her tattered clothes. This just HAS to be **his** idea of a sick joke… She thought angrily. Out of ALL the clothes in the world **he** could have sent her when she asked for a new outfit a couple of days ago; **he** just HAD to pick a fucking dress…didn't **he**?

**He** already must have known how desperate Yumi was seeing as how she is normally more inclined to starve to death then to ask **him** for anything. But when Yumi realized that her clothes were starting to tear and fray a couple of days ago, she didn't have a choice but to write **him** and ask for some new clothes. But **he** just HAD to act like the bastard **he** was and take it a step farther by humiliating her with this 'outfit'. What kind of ninja fights in a dress anyways!?

Yumi stood up and pulled the item over her head. Once on, she put on the accessories and new shoes **he** sent as well before leaving the cave to view herself in the lake. Yumi groaned loudly at her reflection. She looked absolutely hideous and **he** was going to pay majorly for this next time she saw **him**.

The dress was crimson red in color with no sleeves and a raised collar that covered most of her neck. It had two large slits up the sides to allow for easier movement and the length went to just about her knees. Underneath the dress she wore tight black spandex shorts with mesh shorts, that were several inches longer than the spandex, under that. Her forehead protector was tied tightly around her waist and her beige weapons pouch still sat on the left side of her lower back, just below the forehead protector.

On her arms she had fishnet sleeves that covered her elbows and she also had on a pair of plated ANBU gloves like Kakashi wore; only they weren't fingerless. She had thick, black combat boots that had little pouches on each side near the top for kunai and weapons. She also had a necklace; a simple, upside-down, teardrop shaped silver pendant hanging around her neck. Absentmindedly she grabbed the necklace and rubbed the medallion in between her thumb and pointer finger.

If there was one thing she had to thank **him** for it was remembering to send her this necklace. She had forgotten it last time she visited and missed it dearly. The necklace was her most valuable possession and **he** was one of the few people who knew how much it meant to her.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Yumi looked at the reflection again and frowned. She really did look ridiculous but there wasn't much she could do to change that. Yumi barely had enough money to feed herself, let alone buy new clothes. Like it or not, until she started making money from missions this was her outfit. Either that or she ask him for some money. And that was something her pride would NEVER permit her to do.

Still, there had to be a way to make herself look less...feminine.

Yumi reached down and grabbed a kunai from the outer pouch in her right boot. In one slick motion, she brought up the kunai and chopped her braid off. She used the kunai to frame her bangs a little better and fix the hair in the back. Yumi smirked a little when she realized her hair was considerably shorter than her teammate Sasuke's; it didn't even come close to shoulder length with her bangs slightly longer than the rest of her hair.

Only feeling slightly less stupid-looking, she tore her eyes from the lake and left her spot for training ground seven. As she ran through the woods, she replayed what Kakashi had told her before in her head…

_"What the fuck is wrong with the people of Konoha?!" Yumi slammed her fist on the table. "How could they be so cruel to a mere child? A child who did absolutely nothing wrong! Hell, technically Naruto saved Konoha; if anything they should worship him as a hero, not alienate and abuse him!"_

_She couldn't believe how heartless the people of Konoha had been to Naruto his entire life. And all because of something Naruto had absolutely no say in - who he was. When Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi inside of Naruto he became a Jinchuuriki, but that DIDN'T make him the ninetails. How could the entire village treat him like he was?_

_"I agree with you Yumi, however not many think this way. People hate Naruto because they attribute him with the Kyuubi. Whenever they see him, they think of the awful night of the attack and are reminded of all the friends and family they lost. It's almost as if they blame Naruto himself for it all."_

_"But that isn't fair! Naruto was a fucking baby at the time; he had nothing to do with the Kyuubi attack! Furthermore, he SAVED the village when the Kyuubi was sealed inside of him! How could no one see that!?"_

_Yumi could feel her anger steadily growing. It just wasn't fair. Naruto is the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, but that didn't give Konoha a reason to treat him like a threat, or worse: an enemy. If there was one thing Yumi hated above all else, it was ignorant people who hated others because of who they were. Naruto is a Jinchuuriki; it's his identity; it's who he is. It's also something that Naruto had absolutely no say in and that no one can possibly change. So how could anyone blame him or hate him for that?_

_They both sat in silence for some time, drowning in their own thoughts._

_"...it all makes sense now..." Yumi said quietly while looking down at the table. Her sensei turned his head to her with a raised eyebrow, silently probing her to continue. "Naruto, I mean...I think I finally understand him. When you think about it, it's no wonder he's such an annoying loudmouth. Ever since he was a child, everyone ignored him and refused to acknowledge his existence. Acting out was the only he could get anyone's attention. Being alone; having everyone in your life fear you or hate you - but most of all blame you for who you are; living each day without actually living; desperately wanting someone - anyone - to offer a smile or a wave, something - anything - to acknowledge your existence. I understand..."_

_Yumi's voice was barely above a whisper and her gaze didn't stray from the table the entire time. Kakashi studied her carefully for a few minutes before speaking up again, not much louder than her. "I see you finally grasp what I have been trying to say. Naruto is the host of the Kyuubi and has an incredible power sealed inside of him, but on the other hand he doesn't want it. All Naruto wants is for people to respect him; to acknowledge him and accept him for who he is. Naruto has lived a life of loneliness and pain, but all he really wants is for it to end. That's why he tries so hard at everything he does. It's also why he so desperately wants to become Hokage."_

_Yumi nodded lightly at Kakashi's words and he allowed her a few more minutes of silence to let everything sink in before speaking up again. "I never did tell you what happened to Naruto yesterday, did I?"_

_At this Yumi faced her sensei. Her eyes were distant and detached with something else hidden deep inside of them. If he didn't know any better, he would have called it pain. She shook her head while speaking in a slightly louder and more confident tone "No, but I think I know now. The red chakra that surrounded him like flames and the weird form he took, that was the Kyuubi's chakra leaking out, wasn't it?"_

_Kakashi gave a curt nod. "Yes, it was. Naruto had pushed himself so hard and was so enraged by what you said that he was able to tap into a small amount of the Kyuubi's chakra."_

_Yumi turned to look out the kitchen window. "It hurt...didn't it?"_

_"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked cautiously._

_"The Kyuubi's chakra hurt him, didn't it? That's why he fainted. That's why today he..."_

_Kakashi gave a gentle sigh. "He fainted yesterday from chakra exhaustion and mild fatigue, not dissimilar to why you collapsed two nights ago."_

_She turned to face him again "You mean...?"_

_"Yes, he is perfectly fine. You did no serious harm."_

_Now, it was Yumi's turn to sigh as she hung her head. "Then what's up with him? Why is he acting so cold and distant?" 'So much like me' she thought quietly._

_"It's hard to explain...I guess you could say he is confused."_

_She looked up at him again with a questioning glance as he continued._

_"He only recently found out he is the host of the Kyuubi, and on top of that yesterday was the first time he ever pulled out any of its chakra. If I had to guess, I would say that meeting the Kyuubi inside his subconscious and experiencing its chakra take over has shaken him up to a small degree. Furthermore what you said yesterday about him never being able to become Hokage - that probably has something to do with it as well._

_"When he woke up yesterday and I explained what had happened, he seemed upset that even with the Kyuubi's chakra he still didn't have the power to defeat you. I think he is starting to doubt himself and his dreams."_

_Yumi frowned "I didn't mean to...I just..."_

_"I know." Kakashi's eye crinkled as his voice returned to its normal tone. "Don't worry about it; knowing Naruto he will be his same goofball self by tomorrow the latest." Yumi and Kakashi both stood up at the same time. "At any rate, let's go. There's a new technique I want to show you." He touched her shoulder and reformed the seal to teleport them both to training ground three where he began to teach her the basics of Lightning Fist._

Yumi clenched her fist at the memory as her pace increased. She really didn't mean to be so harsh to aho. Sure she meant some of what she said, but there was no reason for her to shit on his life dream. Especially now that she knows how much being Hokage means to him. She continued to the training ground with one thought in her mind: she had to apologize.

As Yumi drew closer she heard a familiar loudmouth angrily shouting between gasps for air "WHAT...*pant*...TOOK YOU SO...*gasp*...DAMN LONG...*huff*...DATTEBAYO!"

Yumi smirked at the sound of Naruto's voice. _Sounds like he snapped out of it._ Yumi reached the edge of the training ground and saw an exhausted Naruto on his feet pointing accusingly at Kakashi and an equally tired Sasuke panting against a tree, all from her spot hidden in the tree line. To the left of Kakashi was an unknown Shinobi dressed in black with sunglasses and his forehead protector on his head like a bandanna.

"Heh heh, warui." Kakashi said lightheartedly before turning to the unnamed Shinobi. "How did they do, Ebisu-san?"

Before the man, apparently named Ebisu, could answer he was interrupted a certain obnoxious blond. "HOW DO YOU THINK IT WAS!? YOU LEFT US ALONE WITH A CLOSET PERV ALL DAY SENSEI, 'TEBAYO."

Yumi smirked as the man stiffened at being called a closet perv. Kakashi looked at Naruto with a raised eyebrow before saying "I...don't want to know." Turning back to Ebisu he said "Anyway, thank you for training them for me, Ebisu-san."

Adjusting his glasses with his pointer finger he replied with a grin "Anytime, Kakashi-san. Now, if you'll excuse me I have some important things to tend to for Hokage-sama."

At Kakashi's nod, the man jumped off towards the village as Naruto shouted after him. "YEA RIGHT! I BET YOU HAVE SOME YOUNG GIRLS TO SPY ON, OR SOME OTHER PERVERTED THING YOU NEED TO DO!"

"Naruto..." Kakashi said as he sweatdropped.

Yumi took this chance to step out into the open. At first the only one who seemed to notice her was Sasuke, whose eyes widened dramatically. Yumi felt herself turn a deep shade of pink; she knew she looked ridiculous but did she really look THAT bad that even the emotionless Sasuke was stunned. They held each other's gaze for a few moments before both of them looked away, their cheeks a light pink color.

Kakashi was the next to see her out of the corner of his eye and he froze, wide-eyed and everything, upon seeing her as well. Yumi's eye twitched now; _do I really look THAT bad_? Why is everyone staring at me? She was about to ask that aloud but someone else spoke first.

"Oy, what are you looking at Kaka-sensei?" Naruto asked as he turned around to follow Kakashi's line of view, only to find himself frozen in place as well.

"What are you all staring at!?" She snapped. Kakashi looked away, covering it up with a slight cough, but Naruto didn't budge. "Well, what is it Naruto? You have something to say?!"

"Whoa...do I kn-know you?" Yumi was taken aback by this statement. At first she thought the baka was messing with her, but by the stunned look in his eyes and the flabbergasted expression on his face she knew he wasn't. _Wow, he really doesn't recognize me...does he? Do I really look that different?_

"Well, I would HOPE you know me." She replied in an indignant tone as she crossed her arms across her chest. "Like it or not, we are teammates, ne."

Naruto's eyes bulged out of his head. "Y-Yumi...!" He stuttered.

"No, it's Sasuke. Of course it's me you twit!"

Naruto suddenly turned a deep shade of red and averted his eyes as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "G-gomen Yumi. I, eto, didn't recognize, I mean, you look-"

"Is 'ridiculous' the word you are groping for? Yes, I know."

Naruto looked at her again "N-no, I didn't-"

"The looks on the three of your faces made that painfully clear. Congratulations on making me feel even more uncomfortable and self-conscious by the way." She glared at him. He opened his mouth to stutter some more, but before he could Yumi turned her attention to her sensei. "Kakashi, do you have something more to add or are we done for today?"

"Eto, right." Kakashi cleared his throat before motioning for his three students to gather around him. Once they all sat in front of him, Yumi in the middle, he continued "Alright. As you all know, next Monday is our first mission so we have only one more week of uninterrupted training. The next four days we will be working on teamwork and strategy, so I expect you all to at least tolerate each other."

He glanced at each student with a serious look before continuing. "All of you are to meet here tomorrow at 7 am. Make sure you have eaten breakfast and are well rested because it will be a long day. You are dismissed."

With that, Sasuke stood up and walked off. Naruto sprung to his feet and began stretching "That's it sensei? I feel like I could keep going for at least another couple of hours, ne!"

Before Kakashi could answer Yumi loudly cleared her throat, gaining the attention of her two remaining teammates. "Ano, Naruto, could I talk to you for a minute?" Kakashi raised his eyebrow but remained silent.

Naruto looked stunned yet again as he replied "Eto, sure. What's up?"

"I..." Yumi looked down as she felt herself go red. She mumbled something but it was too soft for anyone to hear.

"HEH? What did you say? I can't hear you, you have to speak up!" Naruto shouted in his usual obnoxious tone.

Yumi clenched her fist and was about to yell at Naruto but then realized that was rather contradictory to what she was trying to say, so instead she took a deep breath and unclenched her fist, facing her teammate once more with an even gaze. "...I wanted to say that I was sorry."

By the looks on Kakashi and Naruto's faces you would think that she had just told them she was pregnant, or a man, or a three legged unicorn with wings; the two of them stood there utterly stupefied. In fact she wasn't even sure either of them was breathing. Yumi, controlling her anger, took another deep breath as she continued: "What I said yesterday, it was out of line, as were my actions. I unnecessarily provoked you and taunted you; all the while acting like I was some untouchable God or something, and I apologize."

Kakashi and Naruto didn't even blink, or twitch, or gasp. Nothing. They were both perfectly still to the point where she KNEW they couldn't possibly be breathing. Honestly, she was starting to wonder if either of them had actually heard anything she said or if it just went in one ear and out the other.

Her fist clenched again as she spoke, no longer able to mask the annoyance she felt. "This is usually the part where you say 'I forgive you' or 'I don't forgive you' or 'I like ramen'; something - anything! Did you even hear me?"

Kakashi gave a small, nervous laugh as he was snapped out of whatever daze he was previously in. "Heh heh, sorry Yumi. I think Naruto is just a little...surprised."

"Che, that's an understatement." Yumi scoffed as she rolled her eyes. "Have you two never heard an apology before or something?"

"Well, not from you..." Kakashi said quietly.

Yumi sweatdropped. "Wow, you sure do give me a lot of credit Kakashi. Just because I'm a bitch who doesn't grovel at the feet of her 'elders' and 'superiors' who are oh so much stronger and wiser and all around better than I doesn't mean I don't know how to apologize. I know when I am wrong and I have no problem admitting it. Now do you accept my apology or not, Naruto?"

Naruto blinked a couple of times before his usual Cheshire cat grin appeared on his face and life returned to his dazed eyes. "You bet I do! Naruto Uzumaki never holds a grudge - dattebayo!" He said with a thumbs up.

The corner of Yumi's mouth twitched up into a smirk as she gave a curt nod. Kakashi's eye crinkled in happiness. _Looks like our little talk had quite the effect on Yumi. I'm glad; maybe now they will actually start acting like a team_.

"Well," Kakashi began, gaining the attention of his two remaining pupils. "Since you two are no longer bitter rivals, why don't you go grab some dinner together?"

"EEEEEH!?" The two of them shrieked in unison, both a bright scarlet color.

"It'll be the perfect way for you two to get to know each other better."

"I'M NOT GOING ON A DATE WITH NARUTO!" Yumi screamed as she turned another shade. At the word 'date' Naruto turned about five shades redder himself and lost the ability to talk coherently.

"WH-WHAT ARE YOU S-SAYING SENSEI, DA-DATTEBAYO!?"

"I didn't say a date; I was just thinking two comrades grabbing a bite to eat together. If you two become friends your teamwork will inevitably increase, as will your skills as a ninja." The two Genin looked at each other, their cheeks still glowing and their mouths agape as they considered what Kakashi had said. "However, if you want it to be a date-"

Kakashi didn't get to finish his sentence as Yumi interrupted him. "Well if we are working on teamwork why don't you come with us, Kakashi?" She intensely glared at him.

"I would love to. Unfortunately, I have some things to take care of..." He formed a sign.

"Don't you dare!" Yumi yelled as Kakashi disappeared in a poof of smoke with another cheerful "Ja ne!"

"Grr, I'm gunna fucking kill you Kakashi..." Yumi growled with a clenched fist as she stared down the cloud of smoke that used to be her sensei.

"Eto..." A voice from behind Yumi caused her to turn around as she came face to face with a red Naruto who was rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding eye contact. "So..."

Yumi sighed. "Alright, fine. Let's go."

Naruto whipped his head towards her as his eyes lit up. "HONTO?!"

"Whoa, don't get ahead of yourself aho! This is NOT a date. We are simply getting dinner together as teammates."

But Naruto didn't seem to hear any of that as he grabbed her hand and took off running towards the village with a huge grin on his face. "OH MAN THIS IS SO GREAT! I KNOW THE PERFECT PLACE TO EAT! YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE IT! WAIT YOU LIKE RAMEN, DON'T YOU? OF COURSE YOU DO! WHO DOESN'T LOVE RAMEN? AND ICHIRAKU'S IS THE BEST RAMEN IN THE WORLD, DATTEBAYO! HAVE YOU EVER HAD ICHIRAKU'S RAMEN BEFORE? IT'S REALLY GOOD, I SWEAR! THE FIRST TIME I WENT THERE I WAS ABOUT..."

Yumi sighed as she allowed Naruto to drag her to Ichiraku's while he went on and on about ramen. _Kakashi, what the fuck did you get me into?_ Yumi thought as she realized this was going to be one long ass night.

* * *

"...AND THEN WHEN I GRADUATED FROM THE ACADEMY, IRUKA-SENSEI BROUGHT ME HERE AND TREATED ME TO RAMEN FOR BECOMING A SHINOBI AND..."

Yumi let her head slam into the table as Naruto continued enthusiastically, not even noticing. He had talked about ramen nonstop the entire way to Ichiraku's, paused for about two seconds to order two large miso ramen with extra pork for them, and then proceeded to talk once again while they waited for their food. Needless to say, if he kept this up for much longer she was going to snap.

Just then a voice from outside caught her attention. "Well, well what do we have here? Naruto hanging out at Ichiraku ramen - how predictable." The male voice joked. Yumi abruptly sat up and both she and Naruto turned around to see a boy about their age enter the shop with two other kids, a boy and a girl, follow suit.  
The first boy had messy, chocolate brown hair and piercing black eyes with a blue forehead protector across his forehead. He had two red triangles on his face and his mouth was set in a mischievous grin with pronounced canines sticking out. He had on a grey jacket with the hood down and had a tiny white dog asleep in his arms.

The girl to his right had short, dark blue hair with chin-length strands framing her face and she wore an oversized cream jacket. She had fair skin and was twiddling her thumbs nervously as she looked at the ground. Yumi nearly gasped upon seeing her eyes as they were a beautiful snow color with just a smidge of lavender to them. Absolutely breathtaking.

The other boy, the tallest of the group, had bushy, dark brown hair and black sunglasses over his eyes. He had a grey jacket that covered his neck and mouth and stood casually with his hands in his pockets.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT KIBA!?" Naruto demanded dramatically with his fist. "CAN'T YOU SEE I'M BUSY, DOG-BREATH?"

Kiba, the boy in front, shifted his gaze ever so slightly to the left and his eyes widened as he saw that Naruto was not alone. It wasn't long, however, before his look of shock morphed to one of smugness. "Well I'll be damned. Who'da thought out of all people NARUTO would get himself a girl. And a beautiful one at that." Kiba said with a wink at Yumi who just blinked a few times in surprise. Naruto's face turned red with anger as Kiba approached Yumi. "I'm Kiba Inuzuka. What could a beautiful girl like you be doing wasting your time with a baka like Naruto?"

"KIBA!" Naruto growled, but Kiba continued before the blonde could get another word in. "Mind if I joined you? Perhaps I can brighten up your evening; knowing Naruto you must be dying of boredom. What's your name?"

Yumi glanced over at Naruto who looked like he was about to explode. "LISTEN HERE INUZUKA-" Naruto exclaimed jumping up.

Before he could continue, Yumi placed a firm hand on his shoulder and gently lowered him down. Almost everything this Kiba had said was true, but that didn't change the fact that Naruto was his teammate. She wasn't going to let this bully pick on him.

"My name is Yumi." She said with a fake smile while looking at Kiba. "I'm Naruto and Sasuke's new teammate. And yes, I do mind if you join us."

Kiba's smug grin dropped as he stared at her with a confused expression. "Wh-what?"

"You have been nothing but rude since the second you waltzed in here. You immediately started picking on Naruto, and then hit on me without so much as introducing your other friends." She said in a sharp tone, contradictory to her false smile still planted on her face.

"My other friends...?"

Yumi looked around Kiba to the two silent people standing directly in front of the curtains. "Hi, my name is Yumi? What about you two?"

"H-H-Hinata H-Hyuuga." The girl stuttered as she turned a bright red, her finger twiddling increasing in pace. _Poor girl_. Yumi thought, _She must have a social or anxiety disorder_.

"Shino Aburame." The boy said as he pushed his glasses up in a manner similar to the ninja named Ebisu from before.

"Hinata, such a pretty name. You have really pretty eyes as well." Yumi said with a warm smile.

The girl managed to turn another shade of red, if possible. "A-Arigatou, Yu-Yumi-san."

_Actually, she probably has both_, Yumi observed. "Please, call me Yumi or Yumi-chan. No need to be so formal."

"Al-Alright, Yu-Yumi-chan."

"And Shino." She turned her head to face the other man. "Are you three all on the same team?"

"That is correct. Kiba, Hinata and I make up Team Eight."

"That's nice, we're Team Seven so I'm sure we'll be seeing more of each other." Yumi turned her attention to the dumbfounded Kiba as she continued sweetly. "Anyways Kiba, I would appreciate it if you left. You see, you are interrupting our date." Yumi said as she linked her right arm with Naruto's left. She could've sworn that both Naruto and Kiba's mouths dropped to the floor. Shino simply raised an eyebrow and Hinata, well for some reason she froze completely before her eyes rolled in the back of her head and she fainted.

Now it was Yumi's turn to let her mouth drop. _Shit, what's up with her?!_ Noticing Naruto and Kiba were both too stunned to take in their surroundings, she turned to Shino. "Eto, Shino, is Hinata okay?"

Shino bent down and picked her up bridal style. "She's fine. You see, this actually happens quite often." His voice was so calm, as if all of this happened on a daily basis for him. Maybe it did.

"Oh..." Was all Yumi could think of to say.

"Kiba. Let's go." Shino's voice called. It wasn't very loud, but it did snap Kiba out of his trance. He shook his head and left Ichiraku's without another word, although he did look back to get another glance at Yumi and Naruto.

"It was nice to meet you, Yumi-san." Shino said coolly.

"Yumi-chan." Yumi corrected with a smile before adding. "And it was nice to meet you too Shino."

Shino gave a nod of his head before ducking under the curtains and leaving Ichiraku with a passed out Hinata still in his arms.

"TWO LARGE MISO RAMEN WITH EXTRA PORK FOR MY FAVORITE CUSTOMER AND HIS GIRL!" Teuchi exclaimed happily as he slammed down a bowl in front of each of them along with a pair of chopsticks.

Yumi sighed but didn't correct him as she moved the bowl closer to her. She picked up her chopsticks and was about to break them in half, but paused as she realized Naruto hadn't moved. She turned her head to look at him and saw he was still, well, stupefied.

"What?" Yumi raised an eyebrow.

Naruto blinked. "I thought you said before we left-"

"I did."

"So then this isn't-"

"No, it's not."

"Then why did you tell Kiba-"

Yumi sighed. "You talk too much, y'know." Yumi said with a light smile as she turned away from Naruto and broke her chopsticks apart. "You're thinking too much about this. After all, Kakashi did say we needed to work on our teamwork..."

Naruto was silent as Yumi began slowly eating her ramen. "I...I don't get it."

"You don't have to." Yumi said slowly as she blew on some noodles. "Look, we're teammates. That means we look out for one another, right?" She turned her head and saw Naruto give a slow nod. "Well, that's what I just did. That Kiba kid was being a jerk, so I told him we were on a date to shut him up. That's all there is to it." She said with a shrug as she ate the noodles.

"Besides, it's my job to pick on you. Can't have some stranger showing me up now can I?" She added with a smirk, continuing to eat her meal.

Naruto's face slowly changed into a real, genuine smile. He's never had anyone stand up for him before. Never. He doubted Yumi would ever know how much this moment meant to him, but he was sure that he would never forget it.

Naruto broke his chopsticks with a bright smile and a happy "Itadakimasu!" as he began to inhale his ramen.

"Don't get too used to it though." Yumi said with a smirk. "Me standing up for you all the time I mean. I still don't like you, after all."

Naruto's face dropped as he shouted with a mouth full of ramen "WHUT DO YOU MEEN!? EVURBUDY LIKE ME!"

Yumi smirked. "I mean you're annoying. And loud. And obnoxious. And stupid. And you make everything a competition, despite the fact that you are a loser and never win."

Naruto slurped down the noodles in his mouth before shouting "OH YEA! WELL, I'LL PROVE TO YOU JUST WHO'S A LOSER HERE! I'LL BEAT YOU RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW! DATTEBAYO!"

"Really now?" Yumi said sarcastically. "And just WHAT are you going to beat me at?"

"Eto..." Naruto looked around, before he caught sight of his bowl of ramen. A malicious smirk appeared on his face and Yumi instantly caught on. Before either of them could say a word, they both attacked their ramen, each determined to eat more than the other.

* * *

Countless empty bowls that used to contain ramen littered the table of Ichiraku's as two exhausted Genin slumped in their chairs, both nearly too full to talk. Nearly.

"I...win...'teybayo!" Naruto said tiredly while holding his stomach.

"Hmpf..." Yumi grunted, slumping in her chair.

"Heh...you sounded just like...teme...right then." He said with a smirk.

Yumi narrowed her eyes at that but couldn't stop the small smirk that formed. "Alright...you beat me. You ready...to go...now?"

Naruto's grin tripled in size at hearing Yumi admit defeat and he nodded his head vigorously. Yumi rolled her eyes and reached into her back pouch to pull out a small wallet as Naruto began searching for his wallet as well. Opening it she had to stifle a sigh at how little yen was in it. _Damn am I poor..._She thought depressed. She glanced over at Naruto and saw an expression similar to hers on his face as he looked into his deflated frog wallet, Gama-chan.

Sighing she pulled out all the yen she had and handed it to Teuchi. He counted it and smiled; she had just enough to cover their collective bill and give a generous tip to Teuchi and his daughter Ayame. The only catch - that was all of Yumi's money. So, it looked like she wasn't eating anything tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the next. Or until she finally got paid for her part time job on Friday.

Putting her wallet away she lightly punched Naruto's arm. "Let's go." She said with a small smile.

"De-demo." Naruto looked at Teuchi and then back at Gama-chan.

"It's alright!" Teuchi said with a big grin. "Your girl already took care of the bill. The WHOLE bill. She left a nice tip as well!"

Naruto's eyes widened as he turned to face Yumi. "Yumi! You did?"

"Yea, so?" Yumi heaved herself up off her chair. _Damn, I don't think I've eaten this much in my entire life! I'm definitely gunna get sick later. Just great..._

"I-I can't let you do that!" He stuttered.

"It's not a big deal Naruto." Yumi said. But in actuality it was a big deal, she just didn't want Naruto to know that. He clearly didn't have enough to pay for himself, or he had just enough and would end up flat broke like Yumi. Either way, she thought he needed the money more. Yumi was used to skipping meals anyway. "Let's go." She repeated, walking out of the shop.

Naruto waved goodbye to Teuchi and Ayame before hopping off his chair and running out to meet Yumi. When he saw her he felt his body freeze. The moonlight illuminated her ivory skin, making her almost look as if she was glowing all the while accentuating the best parts of her body. Her body! How could Naruto have never noticed before now just how perfect her curves were? But not as perfect as her eyes. Her dark blue eyes that reflected light so perfectly it made his heart stop. And her beautiful hair, swaying in the gentle breeze. And her-

Naruto's mind stopped working the second she turned to face him. It was as if all time had stopped as the two ninja stared into each other's eyes for an unknown amount of time.

Suddenly Yumi looked down, her pale cheeks dusted pink. "What?" She mumbled still not facing him.

After a few moments he was able to pull himself together and looked down, his cheeks undoubtedly a shade of pink as well. "N-nothing. I just wanted to say that I'll pay you back..."

"You don't have to..." Despite her economic situation, Yumi had never been stingy or greedy when it came to money.

Naruto shook his head. "But I want to." He faced her.

"I won't take it." She faced him stubbornly.

"Well...if you don't then I'm going to take you out to dinner again when I have money!" He grinned.

Yumi gave a small smirk "Well, you can but that still doesn't mean I'll let you pay for me." The two grinned at each other for a few moments before Yumi spoke. "I have to go."

"Oh, yeah, me too. Have to make sure I get enough sleep for tomorrow, 'teybayo!" Naruto felt a twinge of disappointment but hid it with his bright grin and happy voice.

"I'm not going to sleep." Yumi said as she rolled her eyes, a playful grin on her face. "It's only nine!"

"Wait, where are you going then, eh?"

"To train."

Naruto's eyes widened "Are-are you serious?"

Yumi nodded. "I usually train with Kakashi around this time, but seeing as how we already trained one-on-one today I'm just going to train by myself for a little."

"Wait, you mean you train with Kaka-sensei every night after we finish training as a team?" Naruto asked incredulously.

"Yea, and then when we're finished I train by myself for a couple of hours."

Naruto suddenly seemed very interested. "What do you do, with sensei I mean?"

"Well, he trains me in Lightning Release and Taijutsu mostly."

"Lightning Release!" Naruto's eyes widened.

"Yea, I have a Lightning affinity just like I have a Water one. Actually I have an affinity for all five elements, but as of now I can only use Water and Lightning Style. Oh, and my Ice Release too."

"Wow, that's so cool Yumi-chan!" Naruto exclaimed. Yumi was caught off guard by Naruto calling her Yumi-chan for the first time, but it wasn't long before a small smile took over her face.

"Doumo." She said with a nod.

"So, what do you do by yourself then?"

"Hm, mostly Bukijutsu and Taijutsu. If I'm not too tired, I practice Ninjutsu as well - Ice and Water Release."

Naruto's eyes lit up. "Eto, Yumi can I ask you something?" He said, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Sure."

"Could you, ano, maybe help me with my Taijutsu?" He grinned at her with his eyes closed and his face a bright pink, all the while rubbing the back of his neck out of embarrassment from asking his teammate for help.

Yumi's smile grew ever so slightly. "Sure." She repeated.

"HONTO NI!?" Naruto's arm dropped and his eyes darted open, eyes filled to the brink with excitement.

Yumi nodded. "As I said before we are teammates. Besides, I can't have you slowing me down on missions now can I?" She said with a teasing smirk.

"RIGHT!...WAIT, WHAT? I WOULDN'T SLOW YOU DOWN - NO WAY! YOU'RE FORGETTING WHO YOU ARE TALKING TO! I'M NARUTO UZUMAKI, FUTURE HOKAGE!"

"Very well then, future Hokage, seeing as how you are already so talented I guess you don't really need my help after all." She turned and began to walk away.

"ETO, WAIT! YUMI! I DIDN'T MEAN IT LIKE THAT!" Naruto exclaimed as he chased after Yumi who just chuckled.

_Having Naruto as an apprentice, this sure is going to be interesting now isn't it?_ She thought with another smirk.

* * *

**1. **Yea, this chapter was supposed to be the start of the Land of Waves mission but I wanted to write this one too. Sue me. It didn't make sense to just drop the whole thing and move onto the Zabuza sage when there was so much tension between Naruto and Yumi so I kinda needed to resolve it in order to preserve the flow of the story. By now I'm sure you realize I like to explain A LOT more than necessary so if that pisses you off then this may not be the story for you honey...

Oh and just to clear this up: Yumi does NOT have a crush on Naruto at this point in the story. She does not like him either. She barely tolerates the kid. But, now that she knows about his childhood and all the shit he went through she UNDERSTANDS him. This, coupled with the fact that Yumi has a strong sense of teamwork and protecting her team even if she doesn't like them, makes her kind of protective of Naruto. But just because she is willing to help train him and stand up for him doesn't mean she likes him. Like I said, he pisses her off to no end.

Oh and you are probably wondering who **he **is. **He's** her benefactor in a sense, but **he **is also a LOT more than that. You'll find out eventually though, and yes it is another OC and an important one at that.

**2**. **Dictionary**

**Ano/Eto:** um; uh

**Aho**: idiot; dumbass

**Arigatou/Doumo**: thanks; thank you

**Baka**: idiot; fool; stupid

**Che**: more of a grunt than an actual word; translated to 'hn' or 'hmpf'

**Dattebayo/'teybayo**: Naruto's verbal tic or catchphrase; roughly translated to 'believe it'

**Demo/Kedo**: but

**Gaki**: brat

**Gakusei**: student; aprentice

**Honto (ni)**: really?

**Itadakimasu**: something you traditionally say before a meal; 'let's eat'

**Teme**: rude way of saying you; roughly translated to 'you bastard!'; Naruto's way of addressing Sasuke

**Warui**: my bad

**3.** **Jutsu**

Lightning Fist  
Hand Sign(s): Hare → Dog → Boar → Ram  
Description: Fighting style where Yumi uses her Electric Current Jutsu to pull out Lightning Chakra and then focuses it on her hands. She then engages her opponent in a Taijutsu battle with the Lightning Chakra enhancing her attacks. By pinpointing certain pressure points on the human body, Yumi can effectively shut down her opponent's body. The strength and general speed of the blows is also drastically increased.


	6. The Real Demon Here

**Author's Note: **Heh heh! Double update bitches! Don't get used to it though...Oh, and just a heads up, this chapter does NOT contain the fight against Zabuza (don't kill me), that's next chapter, promise. This simply contains the beginning of their journey to the Land of Waves and their run in with the Demon Brothers. However, you are going to see Yumi in a whole new light...actually TWO whole new lights. You'll see just how kind and caring she is, but also how heartless. Gah, just read it already!

Oh, warning for slight torture and extensive psychological warfare...jus' sayin~

Double oh, hate me or not, it will probably be at least two weeks before I update again, fair warning

AsheXChan

* * *

"Sasuke, I'm at point B."

"Yumi, I'm at point C."

A long pause before the next voice was heard. "Naruto, I'm at point A, dattebayo!"

"You're slow Naruto." A voice chastised before continuing. "Okay, Squad Seven...hm? The target has moved! Follow it!"

"Over there!" Naruto said in a hushed tone as the three of them closed in on the target.

"Ugh, why am I even doing this?" Yumi groaned.

"Not now Yumi; focus. What's your distance from the target?"

"Five meters." Naruto answered for her before she could get into a fight with her sensei. "I'm ready just give the signal." He added.

"I'm ready too." Sasuke's voice was deep and serious. _Why in fuck's sake is everyone taking this so seriously? It's just a cat..._

Caught up in her angry thoughts, Yumi missed her cue and another long silence occurred before Kakashi interrupted "Yumi!"

"Wha? Oh, yea, I'm ready." Yumi said in a bored tone.

Kakashi sighed before continuing "Okay...now!"

The three of them charged and Naruto easily tackled the cat...until it started clawing his face off that is. Yumi burst out laughing so hard she fell to her knees, holding her sides.

"Yu-Yumi-chan! Ow! This isn't - ITAI - funny! AH! Somebody get - OW - this stupid cat off of me! YOWWW!" Naruto cried as the feline mauled him.

"Yes it is!" Yumi continued to laugh as Sasuke talked to Kakashi over the radio.

"Right. Lost pet Tora captured. Mission accomplished." She heard Kakashi say.

"Mission? What the fuck kind of mission involves finding a cat!?" Yumi shouted angrily into the headset.

"Yumi..." Kakashi began in an exhausted tone before Naruto cut in.

"YUMI'S RIGHT - YOWW! CAN'T WE GET - OWOWOW - A BETTER MISSION THAN THIS? HEY! I HATE CATS - ITAIIIII!" Naruto shrieked into the headset, earning a sigh from his sensei and irritated eye roll from Sasuke who muttered "dobe" as he walked past the struggling Genin, not lifting so much as a finger to help his comrade out.

Yumi sighed as she carefully removed the cat from Naruto's face. By the time Naruto looked to her, she was stroking the cat gently and it was purring in her arms with its eyes closed.

Naruto's mouth dropped to the floor as he scurried to his feet "HOW DID YOU DO THAT!?" He exclaimed while pointing at the now docile creature resting in Yumi's arms.

"I like cats." She shrugged, not tearing her gaze away from Tora.

"Well I don't! No way! Cats are evil!" He huffed as he crossed his arms across his chest and turned his head to the side with a pout. Yumi ignored his immature behavior as she continued to stroke that cat gently, a half smile on her face.

"What now?" Sasuke asked over the radio.

"Hold your position; I'll be right there. Then we can all go report to Hokage-sama together."

"Hn." Sasuke replied with a nod as he switched off his radio and took it off. "Next time, try not to mess up the mission dobe. Or at least stay out of my way." He scoffed indignantly.

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT TEME!?" Naruto demanded, facing his teammate with his fist shaking. "I DIDN'T MESS UP THE MISSION - I COMPLETED IT! I WAS THE ONE TO CATCH TORA! YOU DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING! DATTEBAYO!"

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. "You let a cat maul your face. You're an embarrassment to this team, not to mention, to _all _ninja."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY TEME!?" Naruto roared. The two of them started arguing, Naruto shouting and Sasuke occasionally raising his voice slightly or twitching an eyebrow to show he, too, was annoyed.

Yumi sighed as she stood up. "WILL YOU TWO BASTARDS SHUT THE FUCK UP OR I SWEAR TO KAMI I WILL SICK THIS FUCKING CAT ON BOTH YOUR ASSES!" The two Genin froze.

Naruto, wide eyed, hid behind Sasuke crying anime tears. "No! Not the demon cat! Please, Yumi! Anything but that - that monster!~" Naruto wailed.

"Get off of me dobe!" Sasuke growled through gritted teeth. But when Yumi raised a threatening eyebrow and took a step towards him with the now wide-awake and ready to strike Tora in her arms, his mouth snapped shut and he didn't say anything further.

Thankfully, it looked like Kami was looking out for the two male Genin today because it was only another minute or so before Kakashi showed up.

"Let's go." Yumi said as she began walking to the village, Kakashi in stride with her and Naruto and Sasuke lagging behind arguing quietly.

"Listen Yumi..."

"Wakatteru, wakattero yo. You don't have to say it, ne." Yumi said staring straight ahead with a distant look in her eyes.

Kakashi frowned. "Look, I know you think these missions are way too easy, but this is just the way the ninja system works in Konoha. Every ninja starts at the bottom and then works their way up as they gain experience and skill."

It was Yumi's turn to frown. "I know that. But seriously, catching a runaway cat? And here I thought the weeding mission was bad! Kakashi, this isn't even ninja work!"

Kakashi gave a light sigh. "I know it may seem that way, but-"

"That's because it is that way! I'm wasting my time on stupid missions like these when I SHOULD be either training or going on REAL missions that will actually advance my skills as a ninja."

"Oh." Kakashi raised his revealed eyebrow, a bit of sarcasm in his voice. "And what exactly did you expect your third week of missions? A B-rank body guard mission? An A-rank assassination? Don't you see those missions are too advanced for you guys? You're simply not ready. Not as individuals and certainly not as a team."

"...It's not like I haven't been on high rank assassinations before..." Yumi mumbled, her gaze still straight ahead.

Kakashi furrowed his eyebrows at this "What did you say?".

Yumi sighed before muttering "I'm just wasting my time here...".

Kakashi would have tried to spark further conversation with the girl, but the distant look in her eyes made him realize that she wouldn't respond. After training Yumi, both with Naruto and Sasuke and all by himself, for over a month now, he picked up of several of her quirks. One being that she sometimes got lost in her thoughts while staring off into the distance. When this happened, she became virtually unresponsive to her surroundings. He wasn't sure what she thought about, but he noticed that anything to do with her goal of becoming a strong Kunoichi seemed to trigger it.

And so, she was silent the rest of the way to the Hokage building, absentmindedly stroking the sleeping cat and staring straight ahead with a detached, cold look to her eyes.

* * *

"OHHHH!" A pudgy lady screeched while practically suffocating her cat "MY POOR LITTLE TORA! MOMMY WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT HER NAUGHTY LITTLE FUZZYKINS! YESSS!"

Yumi couldn't help but cringe at the sight. _Poor Tora...no wonder the thing ran away..._

"Ahahahaha! Stupid cat! That kitty deserves to be squashed! Ahahaha!" Naruto chuckled at the cat's cries. Suddenly Yumi whacked him on the top of his head. "OWIE! ITAI!" He cried as he grabbed his head with both hands. "What was THAT for?!"

"Be nice or I'll squash YOU." Yumi threatened through gritted teeth as her eyes flashed dangerously.

Naruto suddenly went wide-eyed and nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Now then," The Hokage's voice rang through the room, commanding the attention of all its guests. Well, almost all of them. The Daimyo's wife and Tora didn't even notice the Hokage had spoken up. "For Squad Seven's next mission we have several available tasks...hum, among them babysitting the Chief Counselor's three year old..."

Yumi took this chance to glare at Kakashi. Kakashi, feeling the daggers Yumi was shooting at him with her eyes, turned to face her. 'You better get me a good mission if you value your life', she mouthed to him.

Kakashi's eye closed nervously and he held up his hands defensively, but before he could respond the most disrespectful Genin of Konoha spoke up. "Nooooooo!" Naruto whined, crossing his arms like an 'x' in front of him. "I wanna go on a REAL mission! Something challenging and exciting - not this little kid stuff! C'mon Ojiisan!"

Kakashi and Sasuke's eyes widened slightly at Naruto's outburst, but Yumi merely smirked. Hey, if the kid didn't speak up she sure would have.

Iruka, naturally, jumped out of his seat and slammed his hands on the table. "HOW DARE YOU-"

"NO!" Yumi cried desperately, drawing everyone's attention by waving her arms around dramatically. "No! No way! Nuh-huh! I am NOT doing THAT again!"

"Yumi..." Kakashi began again.

"No Kakashi!" She spun around and faced him. "I refuse to play HIS games!"

"What...games?"

"The 'how dare you this' 'how dare you that' game! I've already had to listen to it once and I don't want to hear it again! Noooo way!" Kakashi sighed. She was clearly referring to the first night they met when Iruka kept snapping at her, each time starting off with 'how dare you'.

"It seems _you_ still have no respect for your superiors! I'm disappointed Kakashi-san, I thought you would have whipped her into shape by now." Iruka spat bitterly, emphasizing the 'you' with extra distaste.

Kakashi was about to speak but Yumi cut him off. "Oh NO you didn't!" She spun around and faced Iruka with her fist shaking menacingly. "How DARE you bring MY SENSEI into this! My disrespect for authority and all-around rudeness have absolutely NOTHING to do with Kakashi!" She yelled with hatred shining in her eyes.

Kakashi froze in shock when Yumi referred to him as her sensei, seeing as how this was the first time she had ever acknowledged him as such. In fact she didn't even call him 'Kakashi-san', let alone 'Kakashi-sensei' as Naruto, Sasuke and most other Genin in Konoha did.

"See! There _you _go again! Disrespecting your elders! _You_ should refer to him as 'Kakashi-san' or 'Kakashi-sensei'!"

"Why don't _you _make me!?"

Iruka turned red with anger and looked like he was going to erupt. This time it was Kakashi's turn to stand up for Yumi. He quickly appeared behind Iruka and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. Iruka whipped his head around and came face to face with a smiling Kakashi who was trying to defuse the situation. "Sumimasen, Iruka-san. Yumi gets a little...touchy when someone insults one of her teammates."

"Iruka..." The Hokage's voice said calmly. Iruka hung his head and took several deep breaths to calm down as Kakashi reappeared to the left of Naruto. Yumi locked eyes with him for a moment but he soon turned his attention back to the Hokage when a certain loudmouth spoke up.

"Wait, so does that mean we get a real mission now, 'teybayo?"

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?" Iruka erupted, this time his anger focused on Naruto. "YOU'RE JUST A BRAND NEW GENIN WITH NO EXPERIENCE..."

Iruka and Naruto started arguing, but Yumi didn't pay them any mind. She was too busy staring at a certain silver-haired Jounin who had just stood up for her to the Hokage's advisor, Iruka. There had only been a handful of people in her life who had ever tried to help her or stand up for her; she was shocked that Kakashi was now one of those few as well. Shocked, and happy. A small smile crept up on her face as she realized that Kakashi really was a good guy.

Without warning, Kakashi punched Naruto on the top of his head, sending him face first into the wood floor. Yumi couldn't help but snicker at the irony. "Will you put a lid on it?" Kakashi drawled.

"Naruto! It seems you do not understand the tasks that you have been given..."

"No!" Yumi interrupted, the last thing she wanted was a long lecture about how the mission ranks work. She already got that three times a day from Kakashi. "It's not that we don't understand - really it's not. We just, well, we're sick of all this slave labor!" The Hokage raised his eyebrow as Iruka stood up again, only for Sandaime to motion for him to sit back down, which he did very hesitantly.

"We became ninja so that we could go on 'A' rank and 'B' rank missions to protect Konoha and its citizens. I know we are new Genin, and I'm not asking for a high rank assassination mission, but we have a really great sensei who taught us many things, especially teamwork. Because of him, I think we may be qualified to skip the lower missions. I guess what I'm asking for is a compromise."

"A compromise, you say?"

"Hai. A 'C' rank mission: something challenging enough that we can prove to you and to everyone else that we're no ordinary Genin."

"YEAH!" Naruto added enthusiastically. "I'M NOT THE LITTLE BRAT WHO USED TO PULL PRANKS ALL THE TIME! I'M A NINJA NOW! AND I WANT A NINJA MISSION! HMPH!" Naruto turned around and crossed his arms across his chest, puffing out his cheeks as well for Kami knows what reason...

There was silence for a little while before the Hokage...chuckled? "Naruto wants us to know that he's not a brat, he's a former brat. And Yumi wants to show us that because of Kakashi's teachings, they are qualified for a slightly more advanced mission. Well, I guess I have no choice but to oblige..."

Everyone, spare Sandaime himself, gasped at this. "Since you two are so determined, I'm going to give you a 'C' ranked mission. You'll be bodyguards on a journey."

"Honto? YOSHI! WHO? WHO? ARE WE GUARDING A PRINCESS? OR SOME BUSINESS COUNSELOR?" Naruto exclaimed happily, now facing the Hokage.

_Damn..._Yumi thought to herself, _I can't believe that actually worked! Finally, a decent mission! Take that Iruka!_ She thought smugly while glancing at the brown-haired Chuunin who looked like he was about to faint.

"Don't be so impatient, Naruto. I will bring him in now. Send in our visitor!"

Yumi, along with the rest of Team Seven, turned around just in time to see the door slowly open revealing...an old drunk?

"What the...? A bunch of little, snot-nosed brats?" The drunk mumbled angrily before thirstily drinking from his sake bottle in an oh so classy manner.

Yumi sweatdropped as she hung her head. _It figures THIS would be my first 'C' ranked mission in Konoha...curse you Sandaime..._

"Huh?" Naruto said standing up as the three of them stared at the man, Yumi still staring at the floor.

Leaning against the door frame he spoke "And you: the little one with the idiotic look on your face. You really expect me to believe you're a ninja?"

Naruto burst out laughing as Yumi raised her head with an inquisitive look on her face. _What the fuck is he laughing about? Doesn't he realize the drunk is talking about him?_

As if to answer her question, Naruto shouted with a grin "WHO'S THE LITTLE ONE WITH THE IDIOTIC LOOK ON HIS FACE?"

"Well, you ARE the shortest one here, gaki." Yumi said in a matter-of-fact tone as she ruffled his hair.

"Huh...?" Naruto blinked a few times as the tiny wheels in his head slowly turned, processing what Yumi had said. After a few seconds, realization hit his face before it was quickly replaced with rage. "I'LL DEMOLISH YOU!" Naruto yelled as he attempted to charge the old drunk, only to be held back by Kakashi.

"You can't demolish the client Naruto; it doesn't work that way." Kakashi said coolly, making Yumi chuckle a little under her breath.

"And what are _you_ laughing at girlie?" The drunk said taking another generous swig of booze. "You really expect me to trust a _girl _to protect me?"

Yumi developed a very large anime vein as anger clouded her senses. "YOU SEXIST PIG! I'LL DEMOLISH YOU MYSELF!" She shouted charging the old, _sexist_ drunk only to be held back herself. Glancing over her shoulder she saw Sasuke had grabbed her from behind, wrapping his arms around each of her biceps to ensure that she couldn't attack the man. "GRR, TEME! GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!"

"Now, now Yumi you can't demolish the client; it doesn't work that way." Sasuke said in a mocking tone with a smirk.

Yumi felt herself blush at his words as the drunk sighed and finally introduced himself. "I am Tazuna, a master bridge builder, and I must return to my country. I'm building a bridge there that will change our world and I expect you to get me there safely, even if it means giving up your life."

"Yea, yea I'll get you there alive, but I can't guarantee it'll be in one piece. After all I am a _girl_." Yumi hissed at him.

Kakashi sighed as Tazuna narrowed his eyes and turned to face the Hokage. "Hokage-sama, surely there is a different team you could send with me?" He faced Yumi again, his eyes narrow slits "One that is more...qualified."  
"Kisama..." Yumi growled as Sasuke gripped her tighter to prevent her from, well, demolishing him.

Before the Hokage could speak up, however, someone else did. "Don't worry Tazuna-san, I'm a Jounin and I will be accompanying you as well. Besides, I know these three don't look it, but they are all rather accomplished ninja." Kakashi said calmly as his eye crinkled.

_Damn, that's the second time Kakashi has stood up for me today..._Yumi thought as Tazuna simply replied with a "hmph".

"Alright." Kakashi said finally releasing Naruto. "Go and gather your things. We will meet at the front gates in exactly one hour. Do not be late."

"I'll be on time if you are, Kakashi." Yumi said sweetly as she stomped on Sasuke's right foot rather harshly. Sasuke hissed in pain and his grip let up just enough that she was able to pry herself free. Walking towards the door, she held up a hand "Ja ne. See you, well, far too soon." She said as she walked out.

"Matte! Yumi-chan! I'm coming too!" Naruto shouted as he chased after her. Yumi simply shrugged as she continued walking, slowing her pace _ever so slightly_ until Naruto caught up to her. "Can you believe it!? Our first 'C' rank mission! This is gunna be great! Dattebayo!"

"Yea, if only our client wasn't an old, sexist drunk." Yumi muttered sourly.

Naruto shrugged. "Yea, but at least it's a 'C' rank. We even get to leave the village! I'm so excited!"

"You...don't get out much, do you gaki?" Yumi said as she raised her eyebrow.

"Well, not exactly...actually this will be my first time leaving the village." He said thoughtfully with a big grin.

Yumi's eye's widened "Are you serious? You've never left Konoha before?"

"Uhmm, nope. Nuh-huh." He said shaking his head.

"Wow..." Yumi muttered. She found this very hard to believe seeing as how she had practically traveled the whole world. "Crazy..."

It wasn't long before they reached Naruto's apartment. "I'll see you in an hour Yumi!" Naruto exclaimed as he ran into his apartment to get ready.

Yumi gave a small nod as she continued walking into town. There was something she absolutely _needed_ for this mission. Entering a small shop, she withdrew her wallet and counted her yen. She didn't have a lot from the 'missions' she had gone on so far, but she had more than enough to buy what she desired.

A new outfit.

No way in hell was she going on this mission in a fucking dress. Especially not with that sexist, old drunk of a client. No way. She grabbed some appropriate attire and paid for it before hurriedly leaving the shop, delighted that she still had some yen left over.

She was in such a hurry she accidentally bumped into something, knocking her on her butt. Oops, make that someone.

"Always in a hurry, Yumi. How troublesome..." A tired voice droned.

Yumi's head whipped up and her lips formed a small grin "Shikamaru!". Hastily grabbing her bag she pushed herself off the ground and offered her hand to the lazy Shinobi. "Hi! How are you?"

Shikamaru gave a polite smile in return as he took her hand and slowly stood up with her aid. "Eh, can't complain." He stated casually.

"That's a first." Yumi jested with a smirk, her comment producing a small smirk on Shikamaru's face as well.

"How about you? Naruto and Sasuke drive you crazy yet?"

"Heh, very close to it." Shikamaru chuckled. "We really need to stop meeting like this." She added, remembering the first time she met the brown-haired Genin two weeks ago.

_Yumi had just eaten some sushi from a small shop in town and was walking towards the training ground to meet Kakashi for her private training. Glancing up at the sky she realized it was probably about six. 'Damn, better hurry. If I'm late, Kakashi is going to kick my ass...literally.' _

_Despite the fact that Kakashi was always late for everything, he somehow managed to make it to their nighttime training session on time. Even more surprising, Kakashi does NOT like to be kept waiting. She found this out the hard way last week when Kakashi trained her especially hard out of spite, just for being ten minutes tardy._

_Inwardly grimacing at the memory Yumi increased her pace as she turned a corner. Before she could even process what happened, Yumi found herself on her butt. Glancing up she saw a boy about her age, with dark hair in a spiky ponytail and a surprised expression on his face, on the ground directly in front of her._

_It didn't take her long to connect the dots. 'When I turned the corner I must've knocked into this kid, causing us both to fall down.'_

_Shaking herself from her thoughts she was about to speak when an annoyed female beat her to it "Why don't you watch where you are going, baka!? You almost knocked into me!"_

_'I know that voice...' Sure enough when Yumi looked to the left she saw a very familiar pink-haired Kunoichi with her hand in a fist. Rolling her eyes and resisting the urge to yell a comeback, Yumi pushed herself off the ground before extending her hand to the kid she had accidentally totaled "Sumimasen, I wasn't paying attention."_

_He took her hand and gave a small, polite smile. "Mondai nai. I wasn't paying attention myself." His voice was calm, almost to the point of being bored._

_"What's your name?" She questioned with a smile._

_"Shikamaru."_

_"Shikamaru..." Yumi began thoughtfully. "That name sounds familiar..."_

_"Hi! I'm Chouji." A cheerful voice to her right said. She turned her head to see a rather plump brown-haired boy with red swirls on his face munching on a bag of chips. She hadn't even noticed him until just then, but he looked like a nice kid so she didn't mind._

_"Nice to meet you Chouji, I'm...hold up. You two wouldn't happen to be Akimichi Chouji and Nara Shikamaru, would you?" She asked, realization dawning on her._

_"Yup, that's us!" Chouji replied shoving another chip in his mouth as Shikamaru nodded with a "yea"._

_Yumi allowed her grin to widen slightly. "No wonder your names seems familiar; I've heard of you guys before."_

_"You have?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow._

_"Uh-huh, Naruto's mentioned you several times." She said matter-of-factly. "You guys are on Team Eight, along with Pinku over there." Yumi motioned to Sakura with her head._

_"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" Pinku erupted. "I HAVE A NAME!"_

_"Yes, you do. Haruno Sakura. Personally, I think Pinku fits better. You see, Sakura is way too pretty a name for a violent bitch such as yourself."_

_"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO TALK TO ME LIKE THAT?"_

_Yumi raised an eyebrow "You don't recognize me?"_

_"I WOULDN'T BE ASKING YOUR NAME IF I DID NOW WOULD I? AND HERE I THOUGHT NARUTO WAS A BAKA!"_

_Yumi's eyes narrowed. "You know what you and Sasuke Uchiha have in common, Pinku?" The three Genin, especially Sakura, seemed rather shocked at Yumi's question. "I like you both a hell of a lot better frozen to the ground on your hands and knees, completely at my mercy~" She finished with a dominant smirk. The same smirk she gave Sasuke the day she beat him, Naruto and Sakura._

_Realization dawned upon Pinku's face which flickered to fear before giving way to anger. "You-you're Yumi!" Her voice was soaked in rage and her face set in an angry glare, but her eyes were filled to the brink with terror. Yumi couldn't help but smirk at the fact that Pinku was afraid of her._

_"Aw, I'm touched. You really do remember me." Yumi said with a false sweetness and a fake smile._

_"You two know each other?" Shikamaru asked cautiously._

_Yumi turned to face him before Pinku could answer. "Yup. My name is Yumi. I'm Pinku's replacement."_

_"Sakura's...replacement?" Chouji asked as Shikamaru's eyes widened._

_"Mmhmm. I'm the new Kunoichi of Team Seven." _

_"Ohhhhh..." Chouji said. "So YOU'RE Naruto's girlfriend?"_

_"NANI!?" Yumi felt herself go bright red._

_"Word on the street is that Naruto is dating his new teammate." Shikamaru said with a nonchalant shrug._

_"WHAT-WHY-HUH? Who-who said that!?" Yumi stuttered, turning redder in the process._

_Shikamaru shrugged again. "I don't keep up with local gossip well enough to know. It's not really my style; too troublesome, ne." _

_"I heard it from Kiba." Chouji said popping a couple of chips in his mouth._

_"Damn you Kiba..." Yumi muttered under her breath. She really couldn't blame him though; after all it was her fault for telling him she was on a date with Naruto. Then again she didn't think he would go tell the WHOLE VILLAGE she was Naruto's girlfriend. Yumi sighed, shaking her head in the process. "Well, it's been fun boys, and Pinku, but I really need to get going."_

_Sakura looked about ready to explode but she didn't dare say anything to her. At least she was smart enough to know that she was outmatched. _

_"Yea! It was nice to meet you!" Chouji exclaimed happily as he finished his chips and crumpled up the bag._

_Shikamaru gave a nod while saying "I'm sure we'll run into each other again."_

_Yumi nodded with a smile before heading towards the training ground. It took her a few moments to realize two things. First of which was Shikamaru's pun, 'run into each other again', which made her smirk a little. The second was serious enough to knock said grin right off her face. 'I didn't deny it...' She thought to herself, completely dumbfounded. 'I never told them that I wasn't Naruto's girlfriend...'_

_Yumi's mind remained devoid of all thoughts in a state of shock until she reached the training ground. An authoritative voice cut the silence that engulfed her, snapping her back to reality. "6:15. You're late, Yumi." _

_Yumi looked up to see Kakashi reading his small, orange book and leaning up against a tree. 'Well...fuck', was the first thought to run through her mind. "I, eto, sumimasen Kakashi. I ran into some people on the way over here...literally." She mumbled the last part._

_Kakashi snapped his book shut and turned to face her. "Is that so?" From the tone of his voice she could tell that he was NOT impressed._

_"You're...not buying that...are you?" His eye crinkled in a menacing way as he took a step towards her. "Eto...I got lost on the path of life? A black cat crossed my path and I had to take the long way? I helped an old lady with her groceries? You wouldn't believe the traffic... I had a meeting with fate? A cute girl stopped me so I danced?" Yumi rattled off excuse after excuse as Kakashi calmly approached her. _

_By ten o'clock Yumi was so exhausted she laid sprawled out on the training ground for another 30 minutes before she finally had the strength to limp home. She collapsed in her bed an hour later and overslept the next day, causing her to be twenty minutes late for their mission and to be greeted with the same dangerously calm look on her sensei's face. _

_Kakashi does NOT like to be kept waiting._

Yumi shook her head with a smile as Shikamaru chuckled lightly. "You need to stop rushing around all the time. Don't you ever just take the time to watch the clouds?"

Yumi smiled in amusement as she shook her head. "I don't have time for that kind of stuff; I'm a very busy person, y'know."

Shikamaru sighed and shook his head. "How troublesome..."

"So, where are Chouji and Pinku at?" Just as soon as she had finished asking her question, it was almost immediately answered by a loud, berating, female voice.

"There you are Shikamaru! What are you doing just standing around? We have-" Pinku stopped mid-sentence as she caught sight of the person standing next to Shikamaru.

The two females stared each other down as Sakura slowly approached Yumi and Shikamaru, Chouji trailing behind. Their glares intensified as Sakura stopped right in front of Yumi.

"Pinku." Yumi growled.

"Aoiro." Pinku countered.

Yumi smirked. "Aoiro? Really? Is that the best you could do, Pinku?" She taunted before dismissing her for the Genin quietly munching away. "Hey, Chouji."

"Hi Yumi! What's up?" He happily replied.

"Not much." She shrugged. "Just getting ready for a mission." A smug look appeared on her face as she turned back to Pinku. "A bodyguard mission. 'C' ranked."

Chouji nearly dropped his bag of chips as his eyes bugged out of his head. Shikamaru and Pinku both gasped as their eyes exploded as well. After a few moments, Pinku snapped out of her shock and rolled her eyes. "Yea right. You guys just made Genin a month ago. You expect me to believe you already have a 'C' rank mission? Get real!" She spoke in a fairly condescending tone.

"Well, whether or not you believe doesn't change the fact that we DO have a 'C' rank mission." Yumi replied through gritted teeth with an anime vein.

Pinku narrowed her eyes as Chouji spoke up. "Wow. You guys really have a 'C' rank, huh? That's so cool!"

"Mmhmm." She said with a nod.

"Damn, that's impressive. How'd you guys score that?" Shikamaru asked.

"Well-"

"Please." Pinku interrupted. "It's quite obvious that if they really DO have a 'C' rank, it's because of Sasuke-kun." Yumi narrowed her eyes. "After all, what could Aoiro and her idiotic boyfriend do to get a 'C' rank? They're barely ninja, both of them."

After discovering a couple of weeks ago that everyone in Konoha thought Yumi and Naruto were together, the two of them just decided to go along with it. It stopped the bitchy fangirls and bullies from picking on Naruto and telling him he will never get a girl. It also stopped guys like Kiba from hitting on Yumi. Neither of them ever openly said that they were dating the other, however they didn't try to deny it either. It was a mutually beneficial imaginary relationship that neither one of them tried to destroy.

"Well now, that's not a very nice thing for you to say. About yourself I mean. After all I DID kick your ass, so if I'm barely a ninja now what could that possibly make you?" Pinku's glare intensified, but Yumi ignored her as she now addressed the two stunned males. "Anyways, I need to go get ready. I'll see you guys in a couple of days."

"Uh, okay. Good luck Yumi!" Chouji exclaimed.

"Yeah, have fun of your 'C' ranked bodyguard mission." Shikamaru mumbled sourly.

Yumi smiled and punched his shoulder playfully. "Have fun babysitting brats, hunting cats and weeding yards!"

Shikamaru groaned loudly as Yumi chuckled and walked off. She left the village and broke out into a run, focusing chakra into her feet to increase her speed. But she didn't go to her spot. Instead, she ended up in a small village.

Carefully maneuvering around citizens, nodding her head at those who acknowledged her presence with a smile or a wave, she made her way to a small house on the other side of the town. Opening the door, she entered the foyer and glanced at the clock while taking her boots off. _It's 1:30, that's thirty minutes I have to get to the front gate so I can only spend about ten minutes here. _

She frowned when she realized she wouldn't have enough time to stop at her spot before leaving. Luckily she had enough weapons that she didn't need to, but she still would have liked to grab some scrolls and her spare archery bow. _I really need to learn a transportation jutsu..._She thought with a shrug as she made her way down the narrow hallway to a small door. Before she could turn the knob, a loud squeal stopped her.

"ANEKIIIIIIIIIIII!" Yumi smirked and turned around just in time to catch the tiny girl who flung herself at her. "I MISSED YOU SO MUCH YUMI-ONEECHAN! YOU'VE BEEN GONE FOR A WHOLE WEEK! ARE YOU A STRONG NINJA YET? ARE YOU ON A MISSION? CAN YOU HELP ME WITH MY SHURIKENJUTSU? I CAN'T GET IT RIGHT!" The girl babbled happily as Yumi just chuckled.

Putting the girl down, she looked at her with a small smile. "Sorry Miwa-chan but I'm getting ready to go on a mission."

Miwa's emerald eyes lit up. "HONTO? HONTO NI? WHAT KIND OF MISSION!?" She jumped up and down, her short caramel colored pigtails bouncing with her as her tiny arms flailed around excitedly.

"Hmm." Yumi put her hand to her chin. "I can't tell you."

She frowned "Why, not Aneki?"

"Because..." She took a step towards the girl and bent down so she was eye-level with the tiny seven-year old. "Then I would have to...tickle you to death!" Yumi lunged forward and attacked the girl's sides. She instantly erupted into a fit of giggles as Yumi pulled her closer and continued tickling her all over.

"A-Aneki!" The girl cried in between laughter as Yumi just grinned and continued on with the merciless sentence.

"It seems you two are having fun." Yumi turned her head and ceased tickling Miwa upon seeing a figure leaning against the doorframe.

"Ryou-kun!" Yumi jumped up and grabbed the figure in a headlock. "Don't think I forgot about you!"

Ryou struggled and squirmed and shouted "hey!" several times before Yumi finally released him. Ryou staggered back and narrowed his amber eyes at her. "Don't you think I'm a little too old for that?" There was annoyance in his voice but he couldn't stop the large smile that formed on his face, indicating that he was indeed happy to see her.

Yumi just grinned at him. "Sorry kid but as long as you are younger than me, I will always greet you with a headlock."

"I'll always be younger than you." Ryou sweatdropped. "And by one year." He muttered.

"How you guys holdin' up?" Yumi asked, changing the subject. "You treating Miwa-chan nicely?" Yumi said as she grabbed the little girl's hands and pulled her close to her legs.

"Yes." Ryou crossed his arms and turned his head to the side in a desperate attempt to regain his cool after Yumi nearly decapitated him.

"NO!" Miwa yelled as she looked up at Yumi with big eyes. "He wouldn't help me with my Shurikenjutsu!"

"Ryou, Ryou, Ryou." Yumi clucked her tongue. "Refusing to help your little sister with her Shurikenjutsu isn't very nice."

"Yea! It isn't nice you meanie!" She stuck her tongue at him causing Yumi to giggle.

Ryou rolled his eyes. "Whatever, I have better things to do than teach you how to be a ninja."

Yumi sighed as she let go of Miwa's tiny hands. Walking up to Ryou she placed a hand on his short, messy, dirty blonde hair. "One day I'm going to teach you the importance of teamwork." Ryou's eyes widened but he didn't say anything as she walked past him to the door. Picking up her bag, she opened the door and turned back to face the two. "I need to get my things together for my mission. I'll be out to say goodbye in a few minutes." Both of them nodded and so Yumi entered the room and closed the door behind her.

The room was simple with a bed, a small desk and one window. Yumi changed into her new outfit. The top was a dark blue spaghetti strap tank top that stopped right above her belly button with a mesh shirt over it. She had fitted capris that matched the color of her tank top, held up by a light grey belt. She also slipped on some matching ninja sandals and exchanged her black plated gloves for a pair of thick, brown leather ones that went a third of the way up her forearm.

Walking to the desk she dumped all of her weapons on top of it. She loaded up her newly bought dark blue weapons holster and put it on her right thigh on top of some white bandages. She then sealed a whole bunch of other weapons, medicine and other items she would need in a couple of mini scrolls which she stored in her beige weapons pouch before securing on her lower back. Yumi restocked her quiver and then placed that on her back as well as her archery bow.

Looking at the small, cracked mirror on her desk Yumi pulled her hair, which had grown a couple of inches since she cut it, into a _very _tiny ponytail which she then held in place with two chopsticks. Lastly she tied one end of her forehead protect to one of the belt loops on the left side of her capris and the other end two belt loops away.

Leaving her room she was greeted with a warm, soothing voice. "I hear you have a big mission."

Yumi smiled at the woman with long, flowing sandy hair who stood before her. "That's right, Takara. It's my first 'C' rank."

"Congratulations child. I wish you the best of luck." Takara said with a dip of her head as her emerald green eyes shone happily at Yumi.

Yumi nodded her head as well. "Thank You." Yumi walked over to Takara. "Here. It's not much, but I want you to have it." Yumi said as she held out her remaining yen.

Takara frowned slightly and shook her head. "My dear child, I couldn't possibly-"

"It's okay." Yumi insisted. "I'll be away with my team for this mission so I won't need the money anyways. If it makes you feel better, you could think of it as my rent."

"Yumi." She placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You know we think of you as family; you do not owe us anything."

"Still, I want you to have it. You guys need it a lot more than I do." Yumi said with a smile. "Besides, I'll get it back and then some when I get paid for this mission. 'C' ranked missions get a lot more yen than 'D', y'know."

Takara graciously smiled and accepted the yen. "You have done so much for us Yumi-chan. I sincerely thank you." She placed the yen in the pocket of her dress and pulled Yumi in for a comforting hug. "Please be careful my dear."

Yumi gently hugged her back "Don't worry, Takara. It's only a 'C' rank; I'll be fine." Yumi pulled away and began to walk away, leaving Takara alone in the hall "I'll be back before you know it! Tell Daiki I say hi!"

Yumi left the hallway and went into the kitchen to see Ryou and Miwa eating some rice balls. She couldn't help but smile at the two. Normally Yumi absolutely hated children, but Miwa and Ryou were different. They were family.

"Yumi-Oneechan, are you leaving already?" Miwa asked with puppy-dog eyes and her lips in a firm pout.

Yumi smiled sadly. "Sorry Miwa-chan, but I have to go."

Miwa jumped out of the chair and jumped into Yumi's arms again. "Come back soon, okay?"

Yumi pulled away and ruffled her hair. "I will kiddo. And when I do, I'll treat you both to some awesome ramen."

"Really?" Her eyes lit up.

Yumi nodded. "Yup, I'll even let you guys meet my teammates."

"Yay!" Miwa yelled in happiness as Yumi walked over and hugged Ryou who was still sitting down, casually eating.

"Hold down the fort, Ryou-kun."

"Yeah, yeah I got it. I'll help Miwa with her Shurikenjutsu for you."

Yumi pulled away and smiled at him "Thanks."

"Just promise me...promise me you'll come back."

"I will." Yumi said with a nod. "I promise."

"Good."

"Okay kiddos, I'm off! You two are gunna make me late!" Yumi said as she left.

"BYE ANEKI!" Miwa exclaimed waving.

"Be safe." She heard Ryou whisper after her.

* * *

"You're late."

Well, Yumi had been expecting that. Despite running full speed back to Konoha, she still ended up being about five minutes late since she got held up with Miwa and Ryou.

"Sumimasen." She said rubbing the back of her neck as she avoided eye contact with the four unamused males. "I got held up."

Kakashi sighed. "Oh well, not much we can do about it now. Let's just get going."

Suddenly Naruto ran out in front of them and started dramatically looking around "YEAAAAA! ALRIGHT! This is the first time I ever left the village! I'm a traveler now, dattebayo!"

"Am I really supposed to trust my life to this runt? He's a joke." Tazuna complained while pointing at Naruto.

_At least the tension is off me..._Yumi thought as Kakashi nervously laughed and said. "Don't worry. Like I said before, I'm a Jounin. As long as I am here you will be perfectly safe."

Naruto suddenly got very ticked off and turned around to shout at the drunk. "Hey! Never insult a ninja - it's a big mistake! And I'm one of the greatest ninja ever! Someday I'm gunna be Hokage..."

_Not this again. _Yumi thought desperately. _I'd rather have him list all of the different kinds of ramen alphabetically than listen to this Hokage crap again._

The drunk took a sip from his bottle before speaking in a calm yet demeaning tone. "The Hokage are powerful and wise, YOU are puny and brainless. The day you become Hokage-"

"Enough!" Yumi intervened, gaining the attention of the four men around her. "Our job isn't to have a heated debate with you over what it takes to be Hokage; it's to get you to...to get you...eto..." Yumi trailed off turning pink as she realized she had no idea where exactly they were escorting this old drunk.

"Hey, teme, where in the hell are we bringing this old drunk anyways?" Yumi whispered to her teammate.

He looked at her with a blank stare. "You...didn't read the mission report, did you?"

"I didn't have time!" She defended turning another shade of pink.

Before another word could be said, Kakashi saved her for the THIRD time that day. "Yumi's right. All this bickering will get us nowhere; our mission is to safely escort Tazuna-san to the Land of Waves. Now will you two be able to get along well enough for the sake of the mission?"

Yumi's eyes widened at this as her lips turned into a smirk. _The Land of Waves, huh? Maybe I'll run into someone I know..._

Naruto huffed and crossed his arms but didn't say anything. Tazuna rolled his eyes and took another generous dose of alcohol. Poor Kakashi just sighed and shook his head. "I'll take that as a yes." He muttered before speaking in an authoritative tone "Let's move out."

The five of them started walking when Yumi abruptly stopped. _Something's not right...I feel...a foreign chakra presence._

Kakashi stopped a moment later and turned around to face Yumi. "Something wrong, Yumi-san?"

This got the attention of the other three males who turned around and looked at Yumi with inquisitive expressions. _It could just be a Shinobi training or scouting nearby. Until I'm relatively sure we are being followed, I shouldn't worry the others._ Putting on her best smile Yumi shook her head. "Nope, everything's alright. I just realized I forgot something, but it's not a big deal. Let's get going."

Tazuna shrugged it off and kept walking and Naruto was quick to follow his lead. Sasuke stared at her for a moment with an intense look, as if he was trying to see if she was telling the truth or not, before turning around and continuing as well. Kakashi kept his eyes on Yumi as she walked up to him and whispered "It's nothing."

"Are you sure?" He huskily whispered back.

"No...but if I think it really is SOMETHING I'll let you know." Kakashi nodded and the two of them set off.

* * *

Up in the trees by the gates of Konoha, two sets of dark eyes belonging to the Demon Brothers Gozu and Meizu watched the five slowly disappear from sight. "Do you think they spotted us?" Meizu asked.

"I don't know...I think the girl might have felt our chakra presence." Gozu replied.

"No way; she's just a kid! There's no way she could be a good enough sensor to detect us."

"Either way, I think we should wait for them to drop their guard before we ambush them. We should probably keep a little more distance as well."

Meizu silently agreed and the two Chuunin rank missing nin continued following the group, this time each being extra careful to conceal his presence.

* * *

Yumi remained extra vigilant as she secretly scanned the area around them for any signs to indicate that they were being followed. _I don't hear or see anything out of the ordinary...And if we are being followed by a ninja he is far enough behind that I can't sense his chakra...But there are no signs that we are being followed in the first place...Maybe I'm being paranoid...But then, why do I feel this way..._

Suddenly a low drawl snapped her from her thoughts. "What's up with you?" She turned to see Sasuke had slowed his gait so that they were now in stride together.

"Uh, nothing. Why would you think something is wrong?"

"You've been intensely scanning around for hours now."

"So?" She snapped. "Is there something wrong with remaining vigilant?"

"You're not remaining vigilant. You're searching for something...or someone." Yumi's eyes widened slightly. _Damn, looks like he figured it out. _

"Look, it's not important." Yumi said dismissively. "If it was, you would be at the top of my list of people whom I would tell, teme." And with that, Yumi increased her pace to catch up with Naruto.

"Hey." Yumi greeted Naruto with a nod.

"Hey Yumi! What's up?" Naruto replied enthusiastically.

"Nothing, I just got bored." She said with a shrug.

"Yea, this is a really long walk." Naruto whined. "Hey Kakashi-sensei! How much longer is it?"

Kakashi sighed and Sasuke replied "You don't know much about geography, do you dobe?"

Naruto and Sasuke started arguing so Yumi sighed and slowed her pace so she was with Kakashi.  
After a few minutes of silence, Yumi decided to engage in one of her least favorite activities: small talk. _But hey, at least it will pass the time...hopefully. _"Soo...Kakashi, have you ever been to the Land of Waves?"

Kakashi turned his head to her and raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Once, when I was about your age. Why do you ask?"

Yumi shrugged. "No reason; just curious."

He gave a nod in response, ending the conversation before it ever really began. Yumi inwardly sighed. _Oh well, looks like it's back to quietly scanning for enemies. I should be more discreet this time; I don't want anyone to notice me searching around. Especially not teme._

* * *

Hours of secretly scanning her surroundings had left Yumi tired, bored and frustrated. She would feel chakra rushes every now and again, but they were always too fleeting for her to decipher them. It was annoying her to no end trying to figure out if they were being followed or not.

And then she saw IT.

A puddle in the middle of the road nearly made Yumi groan at its stupidity. _Seriously, a fucking PUDDLE!? How idiotic! _Naturally, Yumi had instantly recognized it as the Hiding in the Water Technique: a supplementary Water Style jutsu that allowed the user to hide themselves in a body of water - even a puddle - while completely suppressing both their presence and chakra.

_It's actually a pretty nifty jutsu...except for the fact that the idiot who is after us decided to conceal himself in some random ass puddle on the middle of a warm road on a beautiful day when it hasn't rained in weeks. Seriously, if he was so insistent on using this technique why didn't he hide in the STREAM we crossed a couple miles back? My bad, clearly the puddle is less obvious...Kami, enemy nin can be such bakas they make NARUTO look like a genius..._

As the five of them passed the _oh so _inconspicuous puddle, Yumi stole a glance at Kakashi and they both shared a knowing look. Sasuke, Naruto and Tazuna didn't seem to think anything of it as they continued walking , or in Naruto's case _strutting_, along.

It wasn't long after they passed the puddle that Yum felt that strange chakra presence again. _So, the little enemy ninja is coming out to play huh? Good, some action would be great right about now._

She heard chains rattling and turned around just in time to see her Sensei wrapped in some weird shuriken chain with two enemy nin on either side of him. _Hm two of them? I only sensed one chakra presence though. Looks like my Chakra sensing could use a little work..._

She heard the others gasp as the two nin pulled the chains and ripped Kakashi to pieces. Or so it looked. Yumi knew her Sensei wasn't that stupid...or weak. Naruto and Tazuna on the other hand looked like they were about to piss themselves in sheer terror.

"Ka-Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto somehow managed to stutter.

"Now it's your turn!" One of the brothers threatened Naruto as the two of them charged the blonde who was frozen in a mixture of shock and fear.

"Like hell it is!" In one slick motion Yumi whipped her bow off her back along with an arrow from her quiver. "You ready teme?"

She didn't wait for a reply before she fired her arrow. The arrow hit the chain through one of the holes and pinned it to the tree behind the two nin. Immediately after Sasuke ran past Yumi and jumped on their metal gauntlets. Gripping the metal with his hands, Sasuke delivered simultaneous face kicks to the two ninja. The force caused the chain to snap and the two became free.

They split up, one charging at Naruto and one going to...

"Shit!" Yumi exclaimed as she realized the other one's target was Tazuna himself. Jumping in front of the drunk she yelled "Stay behind me!" While simultaneously grabbing some more arrows from her quiver.

She fired five arrows super-fast but the ninja easily blocked them with his metal claw as he continued advancing towards her. _Not good. _Yumi slung her bow back on her back and took out two kunai, one for each hand. _Any long range attack he'll just block with his claw, I need to wait for him to get closer and then engage him in close combat._

She twirled her kunai and put them in front of her in a defensive pose, ready to attack the second he got close enough. _Almost there. _She thought as the ninja ducked down and got ready to launch himself at her.

The next thing she knew she was staring at someone's back. "Sasuke!" Yumi shouted in genuine surprise as she realized he had thrown himself in front of her with his arms out, effectively putting a wall between herself and the enemy. Shock was replaced by anger as she shouted. "Move you idiot! You're gunna get yourself killed!"

But he didn't move. He continued standing there wordlessly in a futile attempt to protect herself and Tazuna. Yumi was just about to push Sasuke to the floor and attack the ninja when the Kakashi's arm appeared out of thin air and grabbed the enemy's neck, knocking him out cold.

"Kakashi!" Yumi found herself shouting as she saw him standing there casually with an unconscious missing nin in the crook of each arm. _Shit, I can't believe I got so caught up in the fight I forgot he was alive...damn looks like I'm the baka this time._

"Hi." His voice was calm as ever and his back was towards her, Sasuke and Tazuna as he addressed Naruto.

"You baka! Playing dead while two _missing nin_ attacked your students! We could have been killed!" She found herself shouting as she pushed her way past Sasuke and stomped over to the man, stopping directly in front of him.

"Heh heh, sorry Yumi-san. I thought you would have enjoyed the chance to fight on your own." He said with that stupid eye crinkle of his.

Yumi scoffed and rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms.

"Wait! But didn't he...?" Naruto started.

"Look behind you, gaki." Yumi said as she motioned to the pile of cut up logs behind Naruto with an inclination of her head.

Naruto turned around and gasped "A substitution jutsu!".

As Naruto's brain tried to process everything that just happened, Kakashi spoke up. "Naruto, sorry I didn't help you right away. I didn't mean for you to get hurt; I...just didn't think you'd freeze up like that."

Naruto's eyes widened as Kakashi continued. "Yumi, Sasuke, very smooth. That was some impressive teamwork." He praised as his gaze drifted from Sasuke to Yumi.

Yumi gave a curt nod before glancing at the two nin in Kakashi's arms. "Kakashi, what do you say you take care of those two and I'll check out Naruto's wound?"

"Hn." Kakashi said with a nod and then walked over to a tree, dragging the two bodies along with him.

"Alright, let's see the damage." Yumi muttered with a sigh as she approached Naruto, her hand out expectantly.

"Hey." Sasuke's voice caught the attention of both Yumi and Naruto who turned to face him.

"W-what?" Naruto still seemed rather shaken up from the ambush.

"You're not hurt are ya? Scaredy-cat." Sasuke mocked with a demeaning tone.

Naruto looked rather taken aback by his comment before his face morphed to one of pure rage. "TEME!"

"Yamete-yo!" Yumi shouted harshly as the two male Genin faced her.

"Sasuke, do NOT mock Naruto just because he froze." Sasuke scoffed and rolled his eyes. "And don't act so high and mighty yourself! It's your fault he's hurt! You protected me when you should have helped Naruto!"

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock but morphed to a glare seconds later. "I wasn't protecting _you_. I was protecting the client." His voice was as cold as ice.

"No, _I _was protecting the client. _You _got in my way by jumping in front of me for no good reason." Before Sasuke could retort, she continued "We both know I'm strong enough to care of myself. Next time you wanna go play hero, try helping out Naruto."

She turned her head to said ninja. "And Naruto?" He glanced up at her, still looking rather shell shocked from everything that had transgressed. "What the FUCK was that?"

"...Huh?"

"You completely froze up! What the fuck was up with that?"

He suddenly looked utterly downcast as his eyes trailed to the ground. "I..."

"Hey." She said softly as she gently lifted his chin up to face hers with two fingers. "Don't doubt yourself Naruto - you are strong. And next time you _won't _freeze up. I know because I'm your sensei, too. And...I believe in you."

His cheeks flushed pink at the same time his lips twitched into a half smile, a _real _smile. Yumi couldn't help but return the gesture. "Alright, let's take a look." She held out her hand again.

Naruto wordlessly offered his hand. Upon inspecting it Yumi sighed and shook her head.

_Poison._

Kakashi suddenly appeared behind Yumi having finished tying up the two ninja. "Their claws have poison in them. Judging by the look on your face I would say Naruto has been poisoned, correct?"

Yumi shook her head without looking away from Naruto's hand which she held tentatively in her own.

"Can you remove it?" Kakashi asked.

She gave a small sigh "No. Unfortunately poisons are not my forte. We should probably get Naruto back to Konoha. If we don't remove the poison soon, he will die." She said gravely as she stood up.

Kakashi nodded his head thoughtfully at this. "I guess you're right..." He said coolly.

Naruto blinked before grabbing a kunai from his pouch and stabbing it in his injured hand. Needless to say, everyone gasped at his action and stood wordlessly as he began to speak. "Why am I so different?" He said through gritted teeth. "I worked so hard to get here - pushing myself until it hurt and training alone for hours. Anything to get stronger and reach my dream." He grunted in pain before continuing, "I will never back down again and let someone ELSE rescue me. I will never run away. And I will NOT lose to Yumi or Sasuke. Upon this wound I make this pledge: bridge builder, I'll complete this mission and protect you with this kunai knife. A real ninja never gives up and neither will I! Don't you guys worry about me; I'll be fine! Now let's go!"

Yumi could only blink in surprise. _Damn, the kid got guts._

"Naruto..." Kakashi began, "Eto, that was really cool how you took the poison out and all...but if you lose any more blood, you're going to die."

There was a heavy silence where only the sound of birds chirping could be heard. Naruto's face suddenly drained and he started sweating profusely as his hand started trembling in fear.

Kakashi smoothly slid behind Naruto, his eye crinkled. "Good idea to stop the bleeding now. Seriously."

Without warning Naruto started freaking out and jumping around like he was on fire or something. "NOOOOO! No, no, no, no, nononononononononoooo! I can't die this way!"

"Show me your hand, gaki." Yumi said while shaking her head. Naruto obliged and Yumi studied it again, noting that the wound had already partially healed. "Hey, teme, reach into my back pouch and grab the blue scroll, would'ya?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her. "No."

Yumi sighed tiredly. "C'mon teme my hands are covered in Naruto's blood. Please?"

He gave an irritated sigh but sauntered up to her and did as she requested. She couldn't stop the small blush that appeared on her face as Sasuke went into her pouch and dug around for a few seconds before pulling out the blue scroll. He held it up in front of her face in between his pointer and middle fingers to show her that he had found it.

Yumi gave a slow nod before instructing him to open it on the floor which he did very slowly. "Okay, now make the ram seal and then place your right hand on the first seal and then the second." Sasuke did so and a bottle of disinfectant appeared along with a towel.

Yumi didn't tear her gaze from Naruto's hand as she grabbed the two items and cleaned his wound. Naruto hissed lightly and tensed as she cleaned the wound but didn't say anything. After she finished, she placed the objects back on top of the scroll and then formed the sign Ox before Tiger.

Her right hand glowed a light blue and slowly flickered to pale green a few times before it turned solid. She lowered her hand over Naruto's and closed her eyes while furrowing her brow in concentration. She imagined her chakra slowly flowing into Naruto's hand and mending the severed muscle before stitching the skin back together.

After a few moments she pulled her hand away and opened her eyes just as the glow disappeared. She smirked when she saw Naruto's hands had completely healed and tried not to smirk even more when she saw that his mouth was wide open in shock. "What? How did you do that Yumi?"

"So, you're a medical-ninja as well. Very impressive Yumi-san." She heard Kakashi praise as she resealed her medical items before rolling up the scroll and placing it back in her pouch.

"Kaka-sensei, what's a medical-ninja?" Naruto asked.

"Medical-ninja are ninja who have exceptional chakra control to the point where they are able to administer medical treatment with their own chakra."

"So Yumi can heal wounds with her chakra? How is that possible?" She heard Sasuke ask, his voice a mixture of disbelief and...jealousy?

"It's simple." She shrugged. "By feeding small amounts of my chakra to a wound I can slowly heal it." She smirked again. "Well, at least the theory is easy. The application is actually pretty hard to do."

Kakashi nodded. "It's true. Very few ninja have the intelligence and chakra control to become medical-ninja. It is even rarer to find one so young."

"Wow! That's amazing Yumi-chan!" Naruto flashed her his million dollar smile.

"Hn, it's alright." Sasuke mumbled under his breath as he crossed his arms.

Yumi found herself go beet red at all the compliments flying her way. "It's really not that impressive..." She muttered casting her eyes to the ground as she tucked her bangs behind her ear with her right hand. "I mean, I'm just a novice at it."

"But you healed my hand! You're amazing!"

"Yea, but that was a flesh wound and tissue damage is easy to repair. Chakra exhaustion and broken bones are a different story." Imagining Naruto didn't understand anything she just said, she added. "I'm not good enough to mend a broken rib cage or save someone from having a heart attack, but a cut hand I can handle." She looked up with a small smile.

"That's rather impressive." She heard Tazuna mutter. Yumi's eyes widened slightly; to be honest she had completely forgotten he was ever there!

"Tazuna-san. I think it's time we talked about why there are missing ninja after you." Kakashi said turning to the now flushed drunk.

"No." Yumi shook her head as she stood up. "Leave it to me." She said with a dangerous smirk. Not waiting for an answer Yumi snatched Tazuna's sake bottle, ignoring the resounding 'hey!' that followed, before turning on her heel and walking over to the two missing ninja tied up by the tree.

Stopping before them she poured the contents of said bottle over both of their heads, once again ignoring Tazuna's protests. The two ninja jolted awake with coughs and angry 'hey's. As they slowly came to, they looked around taking in their situation before narrowing their eyes at the young Kunoichi in front of them.

"Good afternoon boys. So glad you decided to join us." She said with a fake smile.

"Who are you?!" One of the ninja snapped, the one to the left of Yumi.

"Actually, I'll be the one asking the questions around here. Got it?"

"Like we would answer you." The other one scoffed. "You're just a little kid."

"Oh, you'll answer me alright. If you value your life that is." Her tone suddenly became sharp and dangerous but she maintained the fake smile on her face.

They both widened their eyes slightly, more in amusements than shock or fear, before the one to the left of Yumi spoke again. "Heh, nice try kid but you don't scare us."

Yumi sighed as she stood up. "I had a feeling you boys would say that..." Turning towards Kakashi and the others she handed the empty bottle to Tazuna who glared at her intently as she reached into her pouch and withdrew a black scroll. Opening it on the ground she performed the ram sign and slammed her hand on a couple of seals on the scroll. Two small clouds of smoke revealed two equally odd items.

The first was a blood red mask that had two large horns on each side, two slits for eyeholes, a large nose and an eerie, monstrous grin. The second item was a black hooded cloak that had a red flame pattern on the bottom.

"Huh?" She heard Naruto say as Yumi bent down and picked up the two items. She secured the mask on her face and then tied the cloak around her neck and pulled up the hood. She formed a couple of hand signs before turning around to face the two missing nin.

The color drained from their face and their eyes widened in pure shock as she slowly, dangerously stalked towards them looking like some kind of demon. "N-no way!" The one on the left stuttered.

"Y-you couldn't possibly be..."

She stopped in front of them and crouched in between the two, tilting her head ever so slightly to the side. "Hello boys. Let's try this again." Her voice was dark and deep and shot an icy chill through the air.

Both ninja froze with shock as their eyes widened even more. She was fairly certain Naruto and Tazuna gasped at the change in her voice as well but they were behind her so she didn't know for sure how they reacted.

"I-I don't believe it." The one on the left spoke, fear evident in his tone. "There's no way a little girl like you could be the Blood Faced Demon of Kirigakure!"

She heard Kakashi gasp behind her and couldn't stop the smirk that appeared behind her mask. "Blood Faced Demon of Kirigakure?" She heard Naruto's uncertain voice echo.

In a blur of motion too fast for anyone to stop, Yumi grabbed a kunai from under her cloak and sliced the cheek of the ninja in front of her. Naruto, Tazuna, Sasuke and the uninjured ninja to Yumi's right all collectively gasped as the one she had scarcely injured froze in terror. She felt Kakashi move to her side and merely extended her right arm at him, kunai pointed at his neck, all the while not bothering to turn her head away from the ninja she had paralyzed with fear. "Stay out of this Kakashi, this does not concern you." Her frightening voice cut through the air.

Kakashi froze but did not back away, he was probably curious to see if she really _was _the Blood Faced Demon of Kirigakure. Moving her arm back towards the ninja in front of her, she held the kunai up for him to see. A thin line of scarlet was on one edge of the kunai she used to slice his cheek. "And what would make you think that? Just because I am a 'little girl', as you say, does that really mean I can't be a demon as well?"

"Y-you...!" The other one stuttered as the nin before her continued to stare at her mask in terror. He was petrified with fear.

"You two are low level missing nin; you aren't even in my bingo book. And so, I wonder, just how much could you possibly know about the Blood Faced Demon of Kirigakure?"

"H-how much we know..?"

"For instance, I don't suppose either of you know _how _the Blood Faced Demon got the name?"

"It's from the mask you wear. The blood red demon mask!"

"That is incorrect." That cognitive ninja and Kakashi both lightly gasped. "Some say that it is because the demon is known for mercilessly slaughtering the target, splattering blood and limbs across the floor before burning the remains. Others say it is because the demon paints its face with the blood of its victim and laughs in their face as they slowly pass from this world to the next. And some say that it is from the red shinigami mask, as you did. But these are all mere spineless assumptions and speculations. None of them are true."

She saw both missing ninja tense in fear as they hung on every word she spoke. "The real reason..." She swiped the blade with the thumb and pointer finger of her left hand, removing the blood from the kunai, and moved her left hand to her mask. "...is because..." She turned the mask to the side with her right hand and thoroughly licked the blood off her left hand, all the while staring intensely at the ninja in front of her. Everyone had frozen in shock by the time she put the mask back on and lowered her hands. "I just love the taste of blood..."

Well, that had certainly done the trick. The two missing ninja looked like they were about to have a heart attack, in fact she wouldn't be surprised if they pissed themselves.

"Wh-what do you want!?" The one on the right managed after several minutes of silence.

"I want to know everything. I want your names, your rank, the name of your boss, why he wants Tazuna dead. Everything."

The two ninja continued to stare at her mask, inwardly debating over whether or not to answer her questions. "We-we can't tell you. If we did, our boss, he would ki-"

"I'll kill you!" She raised her voice before raising the kunai knife to the neck of the injured nin. "So far you have backed everything you know about the Blood Faced Demon off of silly assumptions. I ask you now, do you _assume _I won't kill your brother?"

His eyes widened again. "H-how did you know he was-"

"I said I'll ask the questions around here! Do you really think a weak assumption like that is enough to save his life?"

Both ninja found themselves unable to speak. "Enough of this talk; clearly we need another demonstration before you two start taking this seriously." She said, malice staining her words. "Now, where should I cut this time?" She moved the kunai to his other cheek. "Should I give you a matching wound?" She slowly dragged the tip of the kunai down his body, not pressing hard enough to break his skin, before stopping at his heart. "Maybe I should just go for the kill and move onto the other one?" She pressed a little harder on the blade, still not drawing blood, before removing the blade and placing it on his inner left thigh. "Or perhaps I should go for the thigh? The thigh is juicy and produces a lot of blood."

"Or maybe..." She began inching the kunai up his thigh. "...I should go just a little higher..." Both ninja's eyes went huge as she slowly dragged the kunai VERY close to the most sensitive part of his body.

Inches away, the ninja who had been frozen with shock until then suddenly shouted "Matte! I'll tell you anything you want to know!" Everyone spare Yumi gasped.

"Gozu!" The other nin exclaimed but he didn't try to stop his brother. Frankly he was too afraid of her, or perhaps _it_ was more appropriate.

She stopped her movement but did not remove the kunai. "Names." She said blankly.

"I'm Gozu." The ninja in danger of being castrated spoke. "That's my younger brother Meizu. We're both Chuunin rank missing-nin from Kirigakure. We specialize in relentless attack and work very well with each other."

"Boss?" Both nin were silent and so Yumi applied enough pressure to cause a shallow wound on his thigh before hissing. "I want a name."

"Alright!" Gozu spoke. "It's Momochi...Momochi Zabuza."

"Zabuza!" Kakashi gasped and Yumi let off some of the pressure.

"Momochi Zabuza, huh? And what could an elite missing-nin such as him gain from taking out a measly old drunk like Tazuna?"

Gozu sighed. "He was hired to take out Tazuna and then we were hired by Zabuza to do the dirty work for him."

"Who?"

He sighed again. "Gatou." At everyone's confusion, the missing-nin then began to explain the situation and just why Gatou wanted Tazuna dead.

When he finished explaining, Yumi stood up still facing the two brothers. "Tazuna. Can you verify what they said?"

Tazuna cleared his voice. "Yes, everything they said is true. Gatou wants to kill me so I can't finish the bridge. I'm sorry for deceiving you but are country is very poor and I didn't have the money-"

"That's enough." His voice hesitantly stopped. "I thank you two for your cooperation." She said to the two missing nin as she took off the mask and cloak and sealed them back in her scroll which she put in her back pouch. She could feel everyone intently watching her every move, all staring at her with fear and confusion. She made the same hand signs as before and her voice returned back to normal. "You have proven most useful."

Everyone gasped as her voice went back to normal. "S-So are you gunna let us go now?" Meizu asked hopefully.

"Not quite..." Yumi reached into her kunai holder and whipped out two kunai which she then threw at the missing ninja who widened their eyes in fear.

The clanging of metal was heard and four kunai knives dropped to the ground. Yumi angrily whipped her head to the right to see Kakashi lowering his arm. _That damn man, he deflected my kunai with his own!_ "Kakashi! What the hell?!"

"That's enough Yumi." His voice was much sharper than normal.

Yumi narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean? We can't just leave them here!"

"...Yumi..." Yumi turned around to see Naruto looking at her wide-eyed. About a million and a half emotions were written across his face but the predominant ones were confusion, sadness...and fear.

Yumi sighed. "Look Naruto, it has to be done."

"No it doesn't." Sasuke spoke up, surprising her. "They told us what we needed to know now let's just go. We've wasted enough time as it is."

Yumi's eyes hardened. "They're criminals. What do you care?"

"Yea, that's true. But...they're people too, Yumi. Sasuke's right; we should just go." Yumi was rather shocked that Naruto not only called Sasuke by his real name, but was also agreeing with him!

She shook her head. "We can't. They know too much." Naruto gasped and Tazuna's eyes widened but Sasuke remained stoic as ever.

"Yumi..." Kakashi's voice caused her to turn on her heel, now angered by the fact that everyone was against her.

"No!" She shouted. "What the fuck kind of ninjas are you guys anyways? Do you really think for a moment these bastards would have spared our lives if the tables were turned? They nearly killed Naruto with their poison and they took out Kakashi without even blinking!"

"But we're better than them!" She heard Naruto shouted. "You don't have to stoop down to their level, 'teybayo!"

Yumi clenched her fist. "So what then? We just leave them here so they can escape and go report back to Zabuza and Gatou? Or maybe Zabuza will come find them. Either way, they know a lot of information about us. They know what path we are taking to get to the Land of Waves. They know that Tazuna is traveling with a Genin team under the supervision of the famous Copycat ninja Hatake Kakashi and that the Blood-Faced Demon of Kirigakure is with them as well. If this information gets back to Zabuza it will put us at a disadvantage. We're better off just killing them and moving on."

"B-but...!" Naruto stuttered, but Yumi could tell that was only because he couldn't think of a comeback. What Yumi said made a lot of sense. Sure it was cruel and heartless, but she was truly looking out for the best interests of her team and their client. She already knew that WHEN Zabuza caught up to them it was going to be a hard battle; there was no need to put them at any kind of disadvantage by letting Zabuza know all about who he was fighting. That was just foolish.

"Look gaki, part of being a ninja is being able to kill your enemy. Every ninja has to take lives no matter what side they are on. Like it or not, it's part of our job description." Her eyes were cold and distant but her voice was soft and calm as she spoke.

"Ah! Um..Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto desperately tried.

Kakashi sighed and said. "What Yumi said is true Naruto: good or bad, all ninja have to be able to kill. However, most good ninja make a conscious effort to only kill when absolutely necessary. That is the difference between good and bad Shinobi." Naruto's eyes widened as Kakashi put his hands in his pocket and walked past Yumi. "Do what you have to." He said softly.

Naruto looked completely shocked along with Tazuna; Sasuke and Kakashi both had emotionless expressions. "Let's move out. We'll leave this to Yumi." Kakashi said as he slowly started walking down the path, Sasuke and Tazuna tentatively followed him but Naruto remained rooted to his spot staring into Yumi's eyes. "Come, Naruto!" Kakashi barked without so much as turning his head.

Naruto tentatively left as well leaving Yumi alone with the two missing ninja. Grabbing two more kunai she turned to face the Demon brothers.

"Wait-" Gozu shouted.

"Don't-" Meizu begged.

But they were both cut off as Yumi hurled a kunai at each of their hearts. Meizu's eyes widened at the impact and he let out a single cough before his head hung limp. Gozu began wheezing as he took his last breaths. "They…called us…the Demon Brothers…." He strained to speak as Yumi reached into her pouch and pulled out a lighter. "I see now...you are more of a demon…than we ever were." He breathed his last raspy breath before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and his shoulders slumped.

Yumi approached the two and checked their pulses to be sure they were dead. Once satisfied, she took a step back and lit the lighter before dropping it on Gozu's corpse. Yumi stood there emotionless as she watched the flames engulf the two bodies and turn them to ash. Once the fire had destroyed everything, she formed the signs Ram - Serpent - Dog - Boar - Horse - Tiger and used her Water Ball Jutsu to completely extinguish the flames.

Dropping to her knees she said a quick prayer for their souls before getting up and walking away. "You were right, Gozu." She spoke quietly.

**I am a demon.**

* * *

**1. **Woah! Bet you weren't expecting THAT. Told you see was heartless. To clarify, she is NOT sadistic. She can kill and torture without blinking an eye, but that doesn't mean she gets enjoyment out of it. She was simply looking for answers and thought this was the best way to get them. That's all. And who/what exactly is the Blood Faced Demon of Kirigakure? Next chapter my sweeties, next chapter...

Miwa, Ryou, Takara and Daiki are all a family living in a small village concealed by a Genjutsu in the middle of the forest surrounding the Land of Fire. Daiki and Takara are the parents and Miwa and Ryou are their children. Yumi is NOT related to them but she does occasionally live there and they have accepted Yumi as family. She also sometimes lives in her secret cave by the waterfall. That's why Miwa was excited to see her because she had been living in the cave (which is slightly closer to Konoha) for the past week and she hadn't seen them. Yumi also has a home in Kirigakure with **him**, however she hasn't been there since the story started. Yumi does not have a definitive HOME; instead she bounces between the three places at will. She also does not have a home inside of Konoha. She cannot afford one.

Her relationship with Naruto is coming along as well. It's been about three and a half weeks since last chapter so she has learned to tolerate him better. Still doesn't really like him that much. She is also a novice Chakra Sensor and Medical Ninja which will be explained more in the next chapter.

**2**. **Dictionary**

**Aho**: idiot; dumbass

**Aneki/Oneechan**: older sister

**Aoiro**: literally means 'the color blue'; how Sakura addresses Yumi; 'blue-haired' or 'blue-head'

**Baka**: idiot; fool; stupid

**Dattebayo/'teybayo**: Naruto's verbal tic or catchphrase; roughly translated to 'believe it'

**Dobe**: dead last; loser; Sasuke's way of addressing Naruto

******Eto**: um; uh

**Gaki**: brat

**Hai**: yes

**Honto (ni)**: really?

**Itai**: Ouch! Hurts!

**Ja ne**: See you later; later

**Kisama**: you bastard; you mother fucker

**Matte**: wait

**Nani**: what?

**Ojiisan**: Grandpa; Grandfather

**Pinku**: literally means 'pink'; Yumi's way of addressing Sakura; 'Pink hair' 'Pinkette' 'Pinky'

**Sumimasen**: informal way of apologizing; sorry

**Teme**: rude way of saying you; roughly translated to 'you bastard!'; Naruto's way of addressing Sasuke

**Wakatteru, wakatteru** **yo**: I know, I know already

**Yamete-yo**: Stop it!

**Yoshi**: Alright! Yea! Let's go!

**3.** **Jutsu**

Chakra Sensing Technique  
Handsign(s): Tiger  
Description: A skill used by sensor type Shinobi to detect someone's chakra. Using this technique, sensors can tell when enemies are approaching and can easily track down targets. The range of this technique varies between sensors. Yumi can feel chakra presences and distinguish between them by the different frequencies they give off.  
Rank: A  
Range: All ranges

Generic Sealing Technique  
Hand Sign(s): Ram  
Description: This technique is a standard ninja skill which allows a ninja to summon an assortment of items that have been stored using Fuuinjutsu. Scrolls are the most common choice for item storage. When needed, the owner will activate the seals releasing their item or weapon of choice. Scrolls can also be used as ammunition for other weapons or have other seals inside of them, which expands the number of potential tricks a Shinobi can use.  
Rank: C  
Range: N/A

Mystical Palm Technique  
Hand Sign(s): Ox → Tiger  
Description: This medical ninjutsu allows the user to speed up the body's natural healing process by sending chara from their hands into a wound or afflicted body part. This allows the user to heal a patient without the need for medical equipment or surgery, making it highly useful on the battlefield. It can be used to treat both external and internal injuries. It is vital to match the amount of chakra used to the severity of the affliction or injury. This requires a great amount of chakra control. Because of this, only a few highly skilled medical-nin are able to use this technique.  
Rank: D  
Range: N/A

Voice Altering Jutsu  
Hand Sign(s): Hare → Dog → Boar → Ox → Monkey → Horse  
Description: By concentrating her chakra to her throat, Yumi can change the frequency of her voice. She uses this Jutsu when she is the Blood Faced Demon of Kirigakure to give herself a deep and scary voice to help further intimidate her victim. Can be undone by the same hand-signs in reverse.  
Rank: A  
Range: Short range

Water Ball Jutsu  
Hand Sign(s): Ram → Serpent → Dog → Boar → Horse → Tiger  
Description: A technique where water is compacted inside the body and then released from the mouth in the shape of a decent sized water ball. The water is highly compacted making the attack, while generally small, deal a rather powerful blow. Several water balls can be shot in succession as long as the user maintains focus and has enough water chakra to form them. Similar to Fireball Jutsu.  
Rank: C  
Range: Short range


	7. Battle of the Jounins

**Author's Note: **It's late. I'm an insomniac. None of you read these author's notes anyways. Here's my favorite quote...

"When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down 'happy'. They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life." - John Lennon

Just wanted to give a quick shout out to XXTakaraXX for reviewing. Even if it is just plain commentary of what you think of the chapter, I love to hear from readers. Good writing has the ability to capture and entertain the audience. But to me the most important quality is to be able to surprise, excite, anger and/or upset them. If the writer is able to evoke a strong emotion from the person reading, I consider that a success.

As long as I continue to surprise, excite, infuriate and upset you, I am doing my job.

AsheXChan

* * *

It didn't take long for Yumi to catch up to the others.

When she did the three male ninja barely noticed her presence; they hardly spared her a glance as she rejoined them, leading Yumi to believe Kakashi must have lectured them about what it means to be a Ninja and about how they need to be able to kill their opponent.

Tazuna was a different story though.

She could feel him staring her down ever since she caught up with them fifteen minutes ago. Slowly growing more and more irritated, Yumi finally spoke up. "So, are you going to say something or are you just going to continue to burn a hole in the side of my head with your eyes all the way to the Land of Waves?" She didn't bother hiding her annoyance as she spoke, her gaze still solidly fixed on the horizon.

Tazuna cleared his throat and she felt him look away. "Eto, sorry kid. I just can't seem to wrap my mind around the fact that a little girl like you is the Blood Faced Demon of Kirigakure."

"So, you've heard of the Demon as well, huh?" Yumi mused.

"Yea...The Land of Waves is a small island independent of the Five Great Nations. However, it is off the coast of Kirigakure so naturally we know all the major good and bad Shinobi from there, including the Demon."

Yumi nodded and suddenly Naruto spoke up. "Everyone keeps talking about the Blood Faced Demon of Kirigakure! What does that mean, Kaka-sensei?"

"The Blood Faced Demon is an elite Ninja from Kirigakure. He is the head of Kirigakure's ANBU and directly serves the Mizukage. The Demon is famous around the world for his assassinations." Kakashi voice and face were devoid of all emotion as he spoke.

"Assassinations?" Naruto questioned.

"Yea. Most of the missions the Mizukage sends him on are 'S' rank assassination missions to eliminate high level missing nin that pose a threat to Kirigakure, namely Shinobi that were born there. However, the Demon is infamous for being a little...excessive with his killing methods."

"Wha-what do you mean, sensei, dattebayo?" Naruto asked cautiously.

"He is highly sadistic and known to torture and maim his victims before killing them in an extremely violent and painful manner. It is true that some of his missions require him to acquire information from his targets before killing them, which would naturally involve some form of persuasion - likely torture. But, the Demon has been known to be particularly ruthless, even as far as torture methods go, implementing an unnecessary degree of psychological warfare as well as a great deal of physical abuse."

Naruto and Sasuke gasped lightly as Kakashi continued. "There are countless rumors about the Demon and his 'methods'. I'm not sure how many of these rumors actually hold water, but enough of them have gotten around so that practically every missing nin in the Shinobi world knows of the Blood Faced Demon of Kirigakure, even low level ones like the two from before. Some of them are afraid of the Demon; others aren't afraid until they experience the Demon's interrogation methods first hand; but ALL of them talk."

She now felt both Sasuke and Naruto staring her down in shock. "Y-Yumi...you aren't...I mean, you couldn't...could you?" Naruto asked quietly.

Yumi didn't turn to face him; she didn't want to see his face. She kept her mouth set in a firm line and her gaze straight ahead as another answered for her.

"I thought she might have been at first, but then I realized it's impossible for her to be the Blood Faced Demon of Kirigakure." Kakashi spoke calmly. Naruto and Sasuke both gasped again and Yumi didn't react.

"Wh-what do you mean, Kakashi-san? We all saw her! She tortured and killed those men without hesitation and even said herself that she was the Blood Faced Demon!" Tazuna stuttered.

Kakashi gave a nonchalant shrug. "She was lying. It simply isn't possible for her to be the Demon for one simple reason: she's too young."

"What does that have to do with it? She's clearly strong enough to be the Demon despite her age." Sasuke snapped, annoyance in his tone. He probably thought that Kakashi meant that someone as young as Yumi was too weak to be the Demon. But he didn't mean it like that.

"Let me ask you a question then Sasuke: can Yumi be so strong that she was able to kill before she was even BORN?" His voice carried just a hint of sarcasm to it.

"What?" Sasuke gasped.

"What do you mean sensei?" Naruto spoke.

"The Blood Faced Demon of Kirigakure has been killing for almost thirty years now; Yumi is only fourteen years old. There is simply no way she could be the Demon."

"B-but what about the cloak and the mask she had? Those are the exact ones the Demon wears!" Tazuna persisted.

Kakashi shook his head. "I'm not really sure myself how she got the items or how she knows so much about the Demon in the first place. Initially I thought maybe an older relative or friend of hers was the original Demon, and that they passed the title down to her for some reason. But now that I think about it, that can't be true either."

"Why not?" Naruto asked.

"Yumi came to Konoha about a month and a half ago. If she was the Demon then the assassinations would have ceased around that time because she was no longer in Kirigakure to carry them out. However, since then the killings have continued on random days at all times and all around the world. Yumi has spent nearly every waking moment with one of us since she came to Konoha. She couldn't exist in both Kirigakure and Konoha at the same time, therefore she can't be the demon." He reasoned.

"Ah…but what about the Shadow Clone Jutsu?" Naruto tried.

Kakashi shook his head. "Naruto, what happens when you punch a shadow clone really hard?"

Naruto thought for a second before replying. "Uhh…it disappears, right?"

"Exactly. We have been training with Yumi and during that time she has received plenty of blows. If she was a Shadow Clone, she would have disappeared on us by now. Likewise, if she sent a clone to carry out the assassination mission it would have probably disappeared as well. The Blood Faced Demon of Kirigakure only takes on the most dangerous and deadly missing ninja. Logically the Demon must face resistance when trying to eliminate Shinobi who are Jounin rank, and because of this he probably sustains mild injuries from time to time as well. If the Demon was a mere Shadow Clone, it would disappear while fighting the missing ninja and would fail the assassination mission."

"Right on all accounts, Kakashi. You really are as smart as they say you are." Yumi said with a small smirk, still not facing anyone. "I am NOT the Blood Faced Demon of Kirigakure; I'm not even a citizen of Kirigakure."

"Then, how do you have the mask and cape? And how do you know about the Demon in the first place?" Sasuke asked, his voice almost harsh.

"Simple." Yumi gave a one-shoulder shrug. "I'M not the Blood Faced Demon, but I know who is." Tazuna and Naruto gasped at this and Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her as she continued. "I know him rather well actually. At least, well enough that I can do a creepily good imitation of him. He was actually rather…impressed that I could pull off the role so well. He gave me a spare cape and mask and told me I could pretend to be the Blood Faced Demon of Kirigakure whenever I need to."

"S-So you aren't the real Blood Faced Demon, 'teybayo?"

Yumi shook her head. "Nope. And I don't particularly enjoy pretending to be the Demon either. However, as you all saw, it is a very effective means for getting enemy ninja to talk. Either way, I only do so on rare occasions."

"So, you're saying that the real Blood Faced Demon of Kirigakure gave you permission to pretend to be him whenever you want to?" Kakashi questioned.

"More or less." She said with another shrug. "There is one condition though: he told me to kill anyone who found out that I was the Demon. Other than that I can do basically do whatever I want when I have the mask on."

Naruto's eyes bugged out of his face as he jumped away from her "EHH!? YOU-YOU'RE GUNNA KILL US NOW?"

Yumi simply rolled her eyes. "No Naruto, I'm not going to kill you guys. Since when do I listen to what other people tell me anyways?" Kakashi snorted softly at this and Sasuke gave a small 'che' in agreement as well. "Besides, that condition was for MY safety, not HIS."

"Your safety?" Sasuke asked while raising an eyebrow.

"Hai. Like Kakashi said, nearly all bad Shinobi, and a lot of upper level good Shinobi as well, know of the Blood Faced Demon. If word got out that the Blood Faced Demon of Kirigakure was really a blue-haired Kunoichi from Konoha, it wouldn't take long for people to narrow it down to me. And if that happened, well, let's just say it would be bad. Really bad. Like, rouge ninja across the entire WORLD would drop what they were doing to come to Konoha and take me out. After all, the Blood Faced Demon has QUITE the bounty on his head. Not only that, but he also targets missing ninja, so by killing the Blood Faced Demon they would eliminate a serious threat to their life."

Everyone remained quiet for a few moments before Yumi casually added. "I mean, don't get me wrong, it certainly would be cool to have a whole bunch of rouges thinking I'm some badass, sadistic, ANBU demon. But at the end of the day the risk is far too great."

Sasuke and Kakashi sighed.

* * *

The journey continued on rather smoothly and Yumi was quite happy that most of the tension between her and her male counterparts had been released. It wasn't all that long before they reached the edge of the land and the five shuffled onto a tiny rowboat to cross the vast sea.

Naruto, being the aho he was, started shouting about how big the bridge was the moment he saw it. This caused the rower to yell at him to shut up and Kakashi to sigh as Yumi and Sasuke both rolled their eyes at his stupidity.

_You know you realllllllllllllly don't get out much when the sight of an unfinished BRIDGE gets you excited_, Yumi thought as she shook her head.

"Tazuna-san." Kakashi spoke up, breaking the comfortable silence between the group. "I understand you had your reasons for not telling the Hokage about your situation and the ninja who are after you, however once we drop you off at the Land of Waves our mission will technically be over. In fact, we have already surpassed the scope of the mission when we continued to escort you even after we found out the truth of the situation."

Tazuna bristled noticeably and got a worried look in his eyes as Naruto shouted. "Wait, whaddya mean sensei? We can't just abandon him now - no way! Not when ninja are after him!"

"You baka; stop yelling!" Yumi hissed as she smacked the back of his head.

Naruto grabbed his head with one hand and clamped his other hand over his mouth with an apologetic look in his eyes.

Kakashi sighed. "This isn't an ordinary mission anymore Naruto. The ninja from before were low level Chuunin, but the next one we run into will probably be Momochi Zabuza himself."

"Isn't that all the more reason to stay and protect him?" Sasuke asked quietly.

Before Kakashi could reply, Tazuna spoke up again. "If you end the mission when you drop me ashore, they'll assassinate me before I even reach my home. The bridge will remain unfinished and my people will be left alone to suffer without hope." Kakashi and Naruto stiffened at his words but Sasuke and Yumi remained unreadable.

"But, don't feel bad about that! Of course my sweet little grandson will be upset; he'll cry 'Ojiisan! I want my Ojiisan!'." _Is this guy seriously playing the guilt card right now...damn he must be desperate..._Yumi thought as he continued. "Oh and my daughter will condemn the Shinobi of Konoha, denouncing and blaming you for abandoning her father in his time of need, and living her life in sorrow." Naruto groaned lightly at this and Kakashi let out a small sigh as Tazuna drove his point home "Oh well, it's not YOUR fault; forget I said anything."

"Alright, alright stop trying to guilt trip us ya sneaky, drunken bastard; we'll help you out, ne." Yumi said dismissively with a wave of her hand in Tazuna's direction.

"Hm?" Kakashi lightly gasped as Yumi continued.

"I mean, we already came this far; might as well continue guarding him. After all, it's the RIGHT thing to do, ne Naruto?"

Naruto grew a very large grin as he whisper-shouted "You bet it is! Besides, a ninja never runs away from a fight - and I'm the greatest ninja out there! I don't care who our opponent is, I'll destroy them AND save the Land of Waves! That's a promise!" Yumi smirked and Sasuke lightly groaned.

Kakashi let out a small sigh and scratched his forehead protector as he spoke in a slightly nervous tone "Well, I guess we have no other choice; we'll have to keep guarding you." He crinkled his eye.

"Oh!" Tazuna spoke with fake surprise that made Yumi roll her eyes. "I'm very grateful!"

* * *

Naruto's eyes lit up the moment he saw how beautiful the village was. "Yeahh...!" He breathed in awe as he took in his surroundings. Yumi had to admit, it was rather pretty for such a small, quaint village. Very peaceful too. But Yumi knew quite well that looks were deceiving so she didn't let her guard slip.

After they docked, the five of them bid farewell to the rower and continued on their walk to Tazuna's home. A good twenty minutes of silence passed before Kakashi spoke in a serious tone. "Naruto, Sasuke, Yumi." Each Genin looked at Kakashi with a curious expression as he said their name. "There's something I need to tell all of you."

"Shitteru yo." Yumi spoke up. "The next time we are ambushed it won't be by some lowly Chuunin; it will be a highly qualified Jounin assassin nin. Probably Zabuza himself."

Kakashi gave a single, firm nod. "That is correct. I don't know when he will attack, but when he does I want you three to understand something." The three Genin looked at him intensely, hanging on his every word. "Stay out of the fight."

All three of them plus Tazuna gasped at his request. However, it wasn't long before his Genin team started protesting his order.

"What? You can't be serious!" Sasuke exclaimed, his eyes flashing with anger.

"NO WAY KAKASHI-SENSEI! I PROMISED THE BRIDGE BUILDER THAT I WOULD PROTECT HIM WITH MY LIFE AND THAT I WOULD TAKE DOWN ZABUZA! A NINJA NEVER GOES BACK ON HIS WORD AND NEITHER WILL I - DATTEBAYO!" Naruto roared emotionally.

"What? Get real Kakashi; you can't fight this battle by yourself! You're gunna need some backup!" Yumi yelled at him.

Kakashi held up a single hand, silencing his team. "You guys don't understand. Zabuza's not like those other ninja - he's in a whole other league. If you guys try to fight, you'll simply get in my way."

Sasuke bristled and narrowed his eyes as Naruto gasped. Ultimately it was Yumi who spoke first. "Those two might be a nuisance, but you KNOW I can handle myself. I want to help you fight!"

"Yumi, I'll admit that excluding myself you are the strongest of the team..." Sasuke's eyes narrowed even further at this. "However, that does NOT mean you are on Jounin level. Just because you and Sasuke were able to outsmart a couple of Chuunin doesn't mean you can take on someone like Zabuza. If you fight, there is a good chance you will be seriously injured...or killed."

The three other males gasped but Yumi simply narrowed her eyes as she spat "You can't stop me from fighting Kakashi!"

"This isn't up for debate, Yumi!" Before anyone could get another word in, he continued. "I am your sensei, just as I am Naruto and Sasuke's. I'm also team leader meaning you all must listen to me when I say: I forbid the three of you from getting involved in the fight against Zabuza."

* * *

A couple miles down the path and suddenly Naruto ran in front of the rest of his team; everyone else stopped in their tracks to cautiously observe the blonde. Naruto began dramatically scanning the area and Yumi couldn't stop herself from facepalming.

"Naruto, mind explaining what in Kami's name you are searching for?" She groaned as she held her face in her hand. Yumi had been discretely scanning for chakra presences ever since they docked in the Land of Waves and hadn't felt even the slightest foreign presence. If they were being followed, Yumi would easily be able to tell this time seeing as how there were no ninja in the Land of Waves, meaning any foreign chakra she felt had to belong to an enemy Shinobi.

Naruto didn't answer her question, instead he pulled a kunai out and threw it into the bushes to his right while exclaiming "Over there!"

Yumi's eyes widened as he did. _No way! Could I have missed the enemy's chakra?_

Sasuke, Tazuna and Kakashi all froze in shock as well. Not surprisingly, none of them expected NARUTO to be the one to spot the elite assassin that was tracking them.

And even less surprising, all of them were right.

"Hm, it was just a mouse." He said calmly standing up as if nothing happened; as if he DIDN'T just throw a deadly weapon into the forest haphazardly.

"Naruto you baka! Don't scare us like that!" Yumi snapped with her fist shaking.

"Dobe..." Sasuke scoffed as he put his hands in his pockets and turned his head to the side.

"Naruto! Those are kunai knives! They're dangerous!" Kakashi was twitching with anger and annoyance. _Shit, this is the closest Kakashi's ever been to losing his coo_l.

"ARGHHHHH! STOP TRYIN' TA SCARE ME YA SCRUMPY LITTLE DWARF!" Tazuna erupted.

Naruto ignored everyone and started searching the trees again, all the while talking to himself, before turning around and hurling a kunai in the opposite direction. "No, THERE!"

"NARUTO!" Yumi yelled as she stomped up to him and whacked him on the back of the head rather harshly. "QUIT THROWING DANGEROUS WEAPONS AROUND!"

"B-but Yumi!" He whined, holding his head with two hands. "There really is someone following us, 'teybayo!"

"Yeah right!" Yumi sneered. "I'm a goddamn chakra sensor! If anyone was following us I'd be able to FEEL their presence baka yarou!"

"Yumi." Said Kunoichi looked up to see Kakashi in the tree line motioning her to come over. Raising an eyebrow she walked over to her sensei and paused when she saw a white rabbit leaning up against a tree paralyzed in shock...with Naruto's kunai an inch above it's head. "Nice going Naruto, you nearly killed that poor rabbit." Yumi sighed and shook her head.

"WAAAAH!" Naruto cried as he pushed past Yumi and Kakashi to get to said rabbit. "OHHH! I'M SORRY LITTLE RABBIT! I'M SORRY!" He picked up the rabbit and began rocking it back and forth.

"All this fuss over a rodent..." Tazuna grunted.

"Chotto matte." Yumi whispered, gaining the attention of everyone around her. "Kakashi, that rabbit..." Kakashi gave a slow nod showing he understood, but the other three males just stared in confusion. Yumi closed her eyes and took a deep breath before forming the tiger seal.

"Huh?" Naruto released the rabbit and stood up. "Kaka-sensei, what is Yumi-?"

Kakashi extended his right arm, wordlessly silencing the rowdy Genin while simultaneously preventing him from advancing towards Yumi.

Yumi took another deep breath as she concentrated her chakra and thoroughly searched the area for Zabuza. Suddenly Yumi's eyes sprang open. "He's in the trees! Get down!" Yumi barked.

The others looked shocked but they quickly dove to the ground just as Zabuza's sword came flying through the air over their heads. The sword got lodged in a tree with a thud and Yumi looked up in time to see Zabuza drop effortlessly on the handle of the sword. His body was facing away from the group and his head head turned to peer over his left shoulder.

He looked utterly badass.

The five of them silently stood up as Zabuza and Kakashi had a stare down; Sasuke and Naruto each grabbed a kunai and held it defensively in front of them; Tazuna stumbled back a couple of feet away from the drama.

Yumi just stared at Zabuza without moving a muscle.

Kakashi was the first to break the deafening silence. Taking a few casual steps towards Zabuza with his hands in his pockets he drawled. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the Demon himself. I was wondering when you would catch up to us, Momochi Zabuza."

"Hmph. Hatake Kakashi of the Sharingan eye, isn't it? No wonder the Demon Brothers failed..." His dark voice mulled. Sasuke bristled at hearing Sharingan but no one else moved.

"Yea, that's right." Kakashi moved his right hand to his headband.

"Hmm, this may prove more of a challenge than I initially thought..."

"You're right about that. But if you leave now, this won't get ugly."

"Hah! You really think I'm one to back away from a fight, Kakashi? If anything, I'm EXCITED! After all, they don't call me the Demon of Kirigakure for nothing!" The four males stiffened as Zabuza continued. "And that little girl you have with you, she's a pretty good sensor. She was able to detect my chakra even though I had suppressed it to the point of being virtually undetectable. She may prove troublesome herself...at least, she would if she wasn't frozen in fear."

Naruto, Sasuke and Tazuna all gasped as they turned their attention to the sole Kunoichi who was frozen in place. Kakashi narrowed his eye "Leave my teammates out of this. This fight is between me and you, Zabuza." he growled.

"Heh, a bunch of little brats are your teammates? Maybe this won't be so hard after all..."

Kakashi resisted the urge to growl at him. Instead, he addressed the female of the group. Not turning his head away from the Jounin in front of him Kakashi asked, "Yumi, are you okay?"

Yumi blinked once before speaking slowly. "Oh...my...Kami..."

Kakashi stiffened a little. "Don't worry Yumi. I'll handle Zabuza; just stay back and protect the bridge builder like we discussed. You'll be fine."

Yumi slowly shook her head. "No, that's not it. It's just that, Zabuza..." The five males all looked at her curiously before she continued. "...is so fucking sexy..."

Tazuna facepalmed.

Sasuke deadpanned.

Naruto shrieked.

Kakashi sighed and sweatdropped.

Zabuza raised his eyebrows in shock and mild amusement while muttering something about her being an odd girl.

"Uh...what?" Yumi asked looking at the reactions of the men around her. "Hey! It's not MY fault he's hot." Yumi huffed as she crossed her arms.

"Usuratonkaichi..." Sasuke groaned.

Choosing to ignore Yumi's last couple of statements, Kakashi gripped his forehead protector tighter preparing to take it off. "Yumi, Naruto, Sasuke: Manji Formation. Remember what I said before - protect the bridge builder and stay OUT of this fight, even you Yumi. I taught you teamwork now it's time for you to use it!" He slowly lifted up his headband, revealing a closed eye with a scar down it. "I hope you're ready, Zabuza." Kakashi's eye darted open revealing a stage three Sharingan with three equally spaced tomoe.

Yumi noticed that both Sasuke and Naruto looked startled at seeing Kakashi's eye. But then again Naruto probably didn't even know what the Sharingan was, and Sasuke was probably rather confused seeing as how it is an Uchiha kekkei genkai. Yumi made a mental note to find out just HOW Kakashi got his Sharingan...later...

"Well..." The sexy assassin muttered in his deep, brooding voice. "Looks like I get to see the Sharingan in action. This is an honor."

"Everyone keeps saying 'Sharingan' 'Sharingan'. Will someone please tell me what that is?" Naruto demanded.

"Sharingan..." Sasuke started in a serious tone before Yumi cut him off.

"It's a rare Doujutsu that is unique to the Uchiha clan - Sasuke's clan. It allows the user to instantly comprehend any Genjutsu, Taijutsu or Ninjutsu and reflect it back to the attacker. Basically, the Sharingan can analyze an opponent's technique and then copy it to the smallest detail."

"Woah..." Naruto breathed as Sasuke shot "How do you know so much about the Sharingan?"

"I read a lot..." Yumi said dismissively with a shrug.

"Hmm, that's right girl. You're pretty smart..."

Yumi felt herself blush and tried not to swoon at his compliment. Suddenly, a mist started to roll in, snapping Yumi back into reality.

"As for you Jounin, in the assassination unit of Kirigakure we had a standing order to destroy you on sight. Your profile was in our bingo book; it called you the man who copied over a thousand jutsu - Kakashi, the copy ninja."

"Woah! That's so cool sensei!" Naruto exclaimed as Sasuke curiously stared down Kakashi.

"Enough talking." Zabuza crouched down dangerously, still looking like a sexy, badass mofo. "I need to exterminate the old man!"

"Sasuke! Naruto!" Yumi yelled as she pulled out a kunai and took her place directly in front of Tazuna. The boys were quick to follow with Naruto to the left of Yumi and Sasuke to the right.

"So, I'll have to eliminate you first, eh Kakashi? So be it..." Zabuza ripped his sword out the tree and suddenly appeared standing on top of the water before anyone really had the chance to process what happened. His left arm was straight up in the air with his hand in a seal and his right hand was in a sign near his mouth as he started building up a large amount of chakra.

"Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu!" And with that, the fog grew very thick and Zabuza disappeared from sight.

"Na-nani? He's gone!" Naruto stuttered.

Kakashi took a few steps forward and then stopped. "He'll come after me first. Just stay back, and keep your guard up. Anything could happen."

"The mist is getting thicker!" Naruto observed as the air became so heavy it grew difficult to breathe. After a few more moments Kakashi vanished from sight as well, causing the three males around Yumi to gasp as she narrowed her eyes. _So, it has begun then._ She gripped the kunai tightly.

_Alright first things first, I should see if I can detect Zabuza's presence..._Yumi thought as she formed the tiger seal and closed her eyes. _Just as I thought...that bastard dispersed his chakra in the fog itself. It would be impossible even for an expert sensor to locate him from his chakra signature...kuso._

Yumi was just about to release her hands and open her eyes when a startling discovery made her inwardly gasp. _There's another chakra presence out there - one that doesn't belong to Zabuza, Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke or I! It's very weak...they are suppressing their chakra as much as humanly possible. Whoever is out there clearly doesn't want to be discovered; they must be on Zabuza's side._

Yumi opened her eyes and lowered her hands back in front of her body. _What should I do? Kakashi doesn't want me involved in this fight...but I'm pretty sure he'll need help. But Naruto and Sasuke...will they be able to protect Tazuna by themselves? And then there's this spy..._

"Eight points." Zabuza's chilling voice cut through the mist making Naruto and Sasuke stiffen considerably. "Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart." Yumi narrowed her eyes. "Now, which will be my kill point?"

_Grr, this guy is trying to get in our heads! It won't work for me but..._She quickly glanced at each of her teammates to see they were frozen in fear. _Shimatta, the two of them are petrified...and I'm sure Tazuna is as well. There's simply no way I can go run off and investigate that weird chakra right now! Unless..._

Yumi slid her kunai in her belt momentarily as she formed the hand signs Tiger - Horse - Ox - Hare - Ram, which made a water clone materialize before her. The clone withdrew a kunai and disappeared into the fog without anyone noticing.

_Okay, good. The clone will go and find the source of that suppressed chakra and I'll stay here and help out my teammates._

The real Yumi took her kunai back in her hands. _Now, the next course of action is for me to do something about this fog._

Kakashi beat her to the punch. He formed the ram seal and literally pushed the fog away from the five of them with his chakra.

_Well, that works too..._

* * *

Away from the dense fog Yumi's water clone formed the Tiger seal and closed her eyes. He's close, I can feel it! The clone jumped across a couple more treetops before spotting a tiny figure crouching in the trees, watching the fight unfold.

Yumi reached into her pouch and pulled out several more kunai knives. Holding three in each hand she flung them at the spy. At the last second the spy whirled around and deflected all six of them with a single senbon, not getting so much as a scratch in the process.

"I see I have been spotted." Yumi tried not to gasp at the sound of his voice._ He sounds so...innocent. He's just a kid; I think he might actually be younger than me! Just who is he..._

Yumi narrowed her eyes at his mask. "Who are you and why are you spying on Kakashi?"

"They call me Haku. I am Zabuza-san's weapon." Yumi narrowed her eyes even further at this. _I knew it. That *sexy* bastard Zabuza had a spy to watch the fight._

"What do you mean 'Zabuza's weapon'?"

"I mean that I am merely his tool. I exist solely to protect and serve Zabuza-san; through me his will lives." _That sly-yet-still-sexy bastard...is he really capable of using someone like this little kid? That's sick..._"One of Zabuza-san's orders was to eliminate anyone who finds about about me." He reached into his haori and pulled out several senbon.

"Heh, so does that mean we're gunna fight kid?"

"Hai." His voice was calm and innocent. Yumi could tell that he didn't want to fight, but that certainly didn't mean he wouldn't. "May I know your name?" He pulled out some more senbon with his other hand and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Yumi." She smirked while pulling out two kunai and twirling them around her fingers before assuming a defensive stance similar to Haku's.

He gave a slow, singular nod. "Well then, Yumi-san. Let the battle begin."

He jumped in the air and threw the four senbon from his left hand. Yumi deflected the senbon with ease using her two kunai. Before she could even lower her hands, Haku had disappeared from her line of sight. _Huh, where the fuck did he go?_

Yumi heard a whizzing noise behind her and turned around to see Haku hurl the four senbon in his right hand at her. Her eyes widened in shock. _Chikusho! He's fast!_ Yumi managed to block three of the senbon but one got lodged in her left shoulder at a pressure point.

She bit down on her lip as she pulled out the senbon and threw it to the ground, glaring at the ninja on the branch across from her. Before the needle even hit the branch she was standing on, eight more senbon were flying her way.

_This...may be harder than I thought..._

* * *

_Okay, water clone to investigate the hidden spy: check. Fog cleared up enough that I can actually SEE: check. Now...what's next?_ Yumi was in the middle of assessing the situation when movement to the right caught her attention. She shifted her gaze to see..._Damn, I never thought I'd see this day! Teme's freaking the fuck out!_

Sasuke was visibly shaking with a terrified look in his eyes. He gripped the kunai with both hands and slowly raised it up. _What the hell is that bastard doing? Is he going to stab himself? That doesn't even make sense!_ "Sasuke!" She whispered harshly.

Sasuke made a noise that was a cross between a gasp and a small cry as his entire head instantly snapped to face hers. She could see the fear written all over his face and her eyes softened. Moving the kunai to her left hand, she slowly reached out with her free hand and cupped the right side of his face gently. He tensed considerably at her touch but the worry in his eyes dissipated just a little bit.

"Calm down; it's going to be okay. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Tazuna or Naruto. That's a promise." Her voice was barely above a whisper, but she knew Sasuke had heard her because his body slightly relaxed and his arms slowly moved back down to their defensive position. Some more of the fear in his eyes left as well.

Sasuke's parted lips began to move as if he were trying to say something, but before he could actually formulate any real words Kakashi spoke.

"She's right Sasuke." Sasuke turned his head out of Yumi's palm to face his sensei. "I will protect you with my life: all of you." The two male Genin gasped simultaneously at this and Yumi could have sworn Tazuna did as well. "I will not allow my comrades to die. Trust me." Kakashi turned his head a little and smiled.

Yumi smiled back at him but before she could say what she wanted, another voice replied. A deep, dark, undeniably sexy and all around alluring, voice. "I wouldn't be so sure..."

Yumi gasped along with the others as she suddenly felt Zabuza's presence...behind her._ Kuso! He must have slipped in between our circle._ Without missing a beat, Yumi spun around and plunged her kunai into Zabuza's heart as Sasuke, Naruto and Tazuna all lurched away from the killer.

"Huh!" Yumi gasped as water dripped to the ground instead of blood. Her eyes widened as realization hit. _A water clone!_ She felt a sudden dark presence behind her.

"You're good kid, but not good enough!" She could feel Zabuza raise his sword to strike her down. Yumi responded by pulling her kunai from the clone and spinning on her heel to block the blow.

_I'm not going to make it in time!_ She thought as the sword closed in on her faster than her arms moved to block it. _Yuruse, Ryou-kun. Looks like I won't be able to keep my promise to make it back after all._ Yumi closed her eyes, bracing herself for her death. She could've sworn she heard Sasuke and Naruto cry out her name the moment the blade enter her right side. She gritted her teeth in pain and prepared herself to be bisected.

But the blade stopped.

Yumi's eyes sprung open in shock, but that shock was nothing compared to what she saw in front of her. "Kakashi!" Sure enough, in between Yumi's body and Zabuza's Kubikiribōchō stood Kakashi with a single kunai knife pressed against the blade, preventing it from further cutting her.

"Get back, Yumi! Now!" Yumi hesitated for just a moment before jumping to the left, far away from the two Jounin. She landed shakily on her feet and both hands flew to her wound as her kunai clattered to the floor.

"YUMI!"

"Yumi!"

Voices shouted her name as Yumi lowered her gaze and tentatively removed her hands from the wound. It was bad. Probably not fatal, but quite painful and gushing a generous amount of blood.

She felt a hand on each shoulder and her head whipped up to meet the concerned gazes of her two teammates. On her left, Naruto was trying to make conversation with her by asking if she was okay; on the other side Sasuke was intently analyzing her wound; a couple of steps behind her she could hear Tazuna mumbling something as well.

But Yumi ignored them all "Kakashi..." She muttered, looking up to see the two elite Shinobi struggling in a weapons block. Zabuza added some chakra to the blade and slowly began to gain the upper hand. "SENSEI!" Yumi screamed as Zabuza sliced Kakashi in half. Naruto and Sasuke both gasped at the action until the three of them realized it was a water clone.

"Don't move." Kakashi threatened as he pressed a kunai to Zabuza's neck from behind.

"He copied it..." Yumi mumbled, gaining the attention of the three males surrounding her. "Even through the mist...he was able to..." Yumi suddenly erupted into a coughing fit as her legs gave out. _Shit, I'm losing too much blood!_

Sasuke and Naruto both yelled her name again as they each grabbed the closest side of Yumi's body to prevent her from falling to the ground in a heap. Removing her hands from her mouth, a thin line of scarlet trickled from her lips as her teammates slowly lowered her to the ground.

"Yumi! Are you alright? Answer me!" She heard Kakashi call to her.

She looked up to see him staring at her with worry in his eyes. She nodded slowly. "I'll be okay." She pulled her arms free from Naruto and Sasuke's grips and formed her medical ninjutsu seals before holding up her right hand. As before it started out blue and took several seconds to change to a steady green. Holding her hand above the cut, she ignored the conversation between Zabuza and Kakashi and instead concentrated on stitching up the layers of skin that had been cut.

After a few minutes, she removed her hand and it quickly returned to normal. The wound wasn't completely healed and could possibly reopen if she put too much strain on it, but at least the bleeding had stopped and the cut was temporarily closed. She could feel the three males around her staring, but she ignored them and returned her attention to Kakashi and Zabuza.

"...while you hid in the mist, waiting for me to make the first move. Heh heh heh, nice try." Yumi narrowed her eyes as another Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi. "But, I'm not that easy to fool!"

Ignoring the little voice in the back of her head telling her to stay back, Yumi grabbed two kunai and sprung towards Zabuza as his clone burst into water and the real Zabuza raised his sword to decapitate her sensei. Jumping in the air, Yumi's two kunai clashed with Kubikiribōchō just as Kakashi ducked away from the attack. Zabuza's eyes widened in shock as Yumi pushed off the blade and back flipped away, throwing both of the kunai at Zabuza in the process. Zabuza easily deflected them and they flew into the ground.

"Yumi! What the hell are you doing?" Kakashi exclaimed as the blue-haired Kunoichi reached into her pouch and smoothly grabbed another kunai to block Zabuza's swing. Sparks flew as the metal collided.

"Hmm, you're even better than I thought. Perhaps there would be some sense in sparing you."

"Don't forget about me!" Kakashi lunged at Zabuza with a kunai. Zabuza kicked Yumi in the abdomen, sending her flying backwards, and then flung his sword around to meet Kakashi's kunai.

Yumi went flying through the air and was surprised when two pale arms caught her. "You baka! Do you want to die?" A voice angrily shouted.

"Not particularly. But on the other hand I'm not just gunna stand around and watch Kakashi die either, Sasuke." She growled, prying herself out of his grip.

"Demo, Yumi...!" Naruto exclaimed running up to her. "Kaka-sensei said to stay out of the fight!"

"Naruto..." Yumi narrowed her eyes and cleanly pulled her bow off her back along with an arrow. Zabuza and Kakashi were jumping around, clashing weapons together in an attempt to slice the other. Just then, Kakashi dodged one of Zabuza's lunges. The elite swordsman followed through with the strike and the blade crashed into the Earth. Zabuza twisted his body, and before Kakashi could move out of the way, the missing nin slammed his foot into Kakashi's arm.

Naruto and Sasuke gasped as their sensei flew through the air. Zabuza charged Kakashi while dragging Kubikiribōchō through the Earth behind him; Yumi raised her bow and followed his movement with her arms. "Makibishi spikes! Trying to slow me down, eh Kakashi?" Zabuza said as he stopped short of the tiny blades protruding from the ground.

_Now's my chance!_ Yumi closed her left eye and carefully aimed for him while muttering "...since when did YOU start listening to what other people tell you...?" She heard Naruto gasp as she fired the arrow at Zabuza.

Zabuza felt the attack coming and blocked the arrow with his massive sword, causing it to get lodged in the ground a few feet away from him. "Like I said before kid, you're good but-" Zabuza stopped speaking as his eyes widened.

Yumi smirked and half a second later, the arrow exploded. Zabuza dove into the water to avoid the explosion and the three males around Yumi all gasped. "The arrow...! It had an explosive tag on it!" Naruto breathed in awe.

The young Kunoichi couldn't help her smirk as it doubled in size. She crouched in front of the lake. "It's over..." She spoke confidently. "Now I can freeze Zabuza and shatter him with my Ice style." She spoke more to herself than to her teammates.

Kakashi suddenly floated to the top of the water. "Kakashi! Get out of the water! Quick!" Yumi shouted. He whipped his head towards her but before he could react, Zabuza appeared behind him making rapid signs.

"Ha ha, you fool...Water Prison Jutsu!"

"No!" Yumi and Kakashi both shouted, but it was too late. Kakashi was trapped.

"Heh heh heh heh, this prison may be made of water, but it's stronger than steel. It's difficult to fight when you can't even move, isn't it Kakashi? So much for the great copy ninja..."

Yumi narrowed her eyes. _Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuckkkk! Now that Kakashi is caught, I can't freeze Zabuza! If I do, the water prison would freeze along with Kakashi!_

"Oh well, looks like I'll finish you off later. But first, your little friends will have to be eliminated!" Zabuza made a one handed seal and two water clones appeared in front of him.

"You think wearing a headband makes you a ninja? When you've hovered between life and death so many times that it doesn't even phase you, then you MAY be called a ninja." The clone on the left spoke as he walked to the land.

"When you become so deadly that you're profile is entered in my bingo book, then you MAY have earned the title of ninja." The other clone said as he followed suit.

"But to call upstarts like YOU ninja..."

"...Is nothing but a joke!"

Yumi growled as the mist thickened. _Just great...now what?_ Before Yumi could think of anything, she heard a grunt and saw Naruto fly backwards several yards. "Naruto!" Yumi ran over to him and crouched down. She didn't get the chance to ask if he was okay as the sound of the left clone stomping on Naruto's forehead protector caught her attention.

"You're just brats..." The one on the right taunted.

"Kisama..." Yumi growled lightly. She was about to reach for a kunai when Kakashi spoke up.

"Listen: get the bridge builder and run! You can't win this fight! He's using his power to keep me in this prison so he can only fight with his two water clones, but the clones can't go far from his real body. If you get away from him, he can't follow. Now, run!"

_Run? Yeah right...that's hardly an option now that you're captured Kakashi. Unless..._ Yumi took a kunai from her pouch and stood up. Stepping in front of Naruto, she spoke in a serious tone. "Sasuke, Naruto, grab the old drunk and get the fuck out of here. I'll take care of things with Zabuza."

She heard her teammates plus Tazuna gasp as the left Zabuza clone raised an amused eyebrow. "You really think you can take me all by yourself, girl?" The one on the right mocked.

She twirled the kunai into a defensive position in front of her chest and bent her knees as well. "I don't need to; all I need to do is free Kakashi."

"Ha! You got guts kid, I'll give you that!" The left started.

"But the only way you'll be able to free your sensei is to get past us!" The right finished.

"I'm not afraid." Yumi said narrowing her eyes in determination. "I may lose my life in the process, but I WILL save Kakashi. That is absolute."

"Hmm, it's a shame we are on opposite sides..." "I could really use someone like you..." The Zabuzas mused.

"What are you doing? I told you to run! This fight was over the moment I got caught! Now, go!" Kakashi yelled from his prison.

Yumi just shook her head. "I won't abandon you, Kakashi. Before you said that you wouldn't allow your comrades to die. Neither will I."

Kakashi's eyes doubled in size before his serious expression returned once again. "Your mission is NOT to prove how brave you are, Yumi! It's to save the bridge builder! Forget about me and stay on mission!"

"I don't care...I don't care if I fail the mission. I don't care if you get angry at me. I don't care if you hate me. I don't care that you specifically told us to stay out of this fight and I don't care if I die either. Naruto and Sasuke can take care of the bridge builder, but I...I'm going to help you. And THAT is not up for debate."

Kakashi found himself speechless. In the silence, Sasuke quietly walked over to Yumi and stopped right next to her. Pulling out a kunai he spoke "I'm going to help too..."

"Wha-teme! No, you can't! You and Naruto need to take Tazuna and-"

"And what?" His voice was sharp. "And leave you to fight Zabuza alone? You told the Hokage that Kakashi taught us teamwork, remember? If we work together then we have an actual chance of saving Kakashi. If not, the two of you will probably die."

Yumi was now speechless. After a few moments she shook her head and yelled. "Grr, you two need to leave! What about the bridge builder? We can't just say 'screw the mission' and forget about him!"

"Uh..." Yumi heard Tazuna mumble. "...Well, I...I guess...this all happened because of me. Because of my desire to live. But I won't let that stand in your way now." Yumi and Naruto both gasped. "Forget about me and do what you have to do! Go ahead and fight to save your sensei!"

Zabuza hung his head and began to chuckle a dark, sinister chuckle. "Fine by me. But if you brats choose to fight, I won't go easy on you!"

Yumi twirled her kunai and tucked it into her belt, gaining the attention of the five males. "That's all I needed to hear, Tazuna..." She turned on her heel and approached Tazuna while forming the signs Serpent - Dog - Boar - Ox. Stopping in front of him, she placed both of her hands on his chest, eliciting gasps and confused sounds from the men around her.

Almost immediately, water began to flow from Yumi's hands onto Tazuna's clothes. "What the...?" He tried to take a step back to prevent himself from being soaked, but Yumi gripped his shirt tightly with both hands as the water continued to saturate his entire torso.

Questions flew her way from Naruto, Tazuna and Kakashi, but she simply ignored them all and continued wetting the bridge builder. By the time Yumi pulled her hands away, Tazuna's shirt and pants were both drenched and he had an annoyed expression.

"Gomenasai, bridge builder." Yumi began forming a whole bunch of seals. "But, this is the best way to ensure you will be safe." She slammed her right hand into his chest. Tazuna gasped, but it wasn't long before his entire body turned to ice.

Yumi removed her hand and walked back to her spot next to Sasuke, taking her kunai out in the process. "An ice style jutsu, huh? Very interesting..." One of the clones droned.

Yumi felt someone take a few steps before stopping to her left. Glancing to the side she discovered it was none other than Naruto himself. He had a determined look in his eyes and his lips were set in a firm line. He clenched his left hand and spoke "I...I swore an oath of pain...and now, I won't run away!"

Without warning, Naruto charged the Zabuza on the left while screaming.

"Naruto stop!" Yumi cried as she ran after him, only to be stopped by the Zabuza on the right who suddenly appeared in front of her.

"You're too slow, girlie!" He extended his leg and Yumi went flying through the air.

* * *

Yumi stood panting before her opponent, five senbon stuck in her body at different points. It was a damn good thing that water clones were so durable otherwise she would have disappeared a long time ago.

Whoever this Haku was, he was no amateur.

"Your skills are rather impressive, Yumi-san. You've done well in keeping up with me thus far." Haku stood tall a couple of branches away, a slight pant in his voice but physically uninjured.

"Don't patronize me, kono yarou!" Yumi snarled.

"Shitsurei shimashita. I meant no harm." Yumi gasped lightly at this._ This kid...is he for real?_

Letting her anger get the best of her, Yumi shouted in reply, "You can't just say shit like that!"

"Huh...?"

"You can't try your hardest to kill someone and then just stop and apologize!"

"So ka..." Yumi sensed a bit of remorse in his voice. T_his kid really doesn't want to fight...so why is he? Could it be Zabuza?_ "Perhaps we should finish this now then." He reached into his haori for more senbon as Yumi twirled her two kunai knives anxiously.

Yumi knew she wasn't winning this fight; all she could do was try to stall him long enough for the others to finish up their battle against Zabuza.

_You better hurry up Kakashi! What the hell is taking you so long?_

* * *

Yumi backflipped and ended in a squat several yards from the clone who was just now lowering his leg. At roughly the same time she saw Naruto go flying backwards, clutching something tightly in his right hand. She instinctively jerked towards him to help, but a cold voice stopped her.

"Don't even think about it girl." Yumi turned her head back around to face the clone who spoke. "Your fight is with me, and me alone." He reached back and grabbed the handle of his enormous sword.

Yumi narrowed her eyes. _Shimatta, looks like I need to defeat this water clone before I can help out my teammates._ "Naruto, Sasuke!" She barked. "You two concentrate on the clone on the left...I'll take the right one."

"All by yourself?!" Sasuke shot angrily.

"Now isn't the time to debate which of us is stronger, Sasuke! Help Naruto! I'll take care of the rest." She retorted, concentrating her chakra to her hand with the kunai in it.

She heard him growl but it was Naruto who spoke up. "Yumi-chan, what about the bridge builder?"

"He's fine Naruto. As long as he is in my ice, he can't be touched. Trust me."

There was a brief silence before the right clone slammed his sword on the ground. "Well then, looks like I'll be the judge of that!" He shouted, charging at the frozen bridge builder.

"Over my dead body!" Yumi snarled while charging to intercept him before he got the chance to try.

Zabuza raised his sword to strike her down as Yumi blocked him with her chakra-infused kunai. The two of them pushed off of each other and engaged in a sword/kunai battle. Unfortunately for her, Zabuza was much faster and stronger so he was able to knock the kunai out of her hands after a really solid swing.

Yumi reached into her pouch to find a startling discovery, _Fuck, I'm out of kunai knives!_ Zabuza raised his sword for a vertical slice and Yumi had just enough time to dodge to the left. Once again fortune seemed to be against her as she was too slow to completely dodge and Kubikiribōchō sliced down her right arm, cutting through several layers of skin in the process.

Yumi's right arm hung limp as Zabuza prepared another deadly swing. She jumped backwards from the blade and stumbled as her feet reconnected to the Earth. Something shiny on the ground caught her attention. _The Makibishi spikes Kakashi threw!_ Dropping down, she grabbed a large handful of the spikes and then spun around and threw them at the clone that was charging her.

Kubikiribōchō deflected most of the blades, however one got lodged in Zabuza's left shin and another in his right shoulder. He seemed unfazed as he continued to charge, not slowing by a millisecond.

Yumi backflipped away from the mess, using her chakra to land far away._ It's risky considering I haven't mastered it yet, but this'll prolly be my best bet..._Yumi forced her arms together so that she could form her seals, all the while ignoring the clone advancing on her.

Zabuza pulled his sword back before swinging it at full force, just as Yumi's right arm shot up and caught the blade without so much as flinching in the process.

How is that possible you may ask. Normally it isn't. But with Lightning Fist Yumi is able to concentrate large amounts of Lightning chakra to her hands, increasing her strength and speed. It's almost like wearing chakra over her hands in a sense that it was the chakra around her hands that allowed her to stop the blade.

The clone's eyes widened. "What?" He exclaimed as Yumi then balled her left hand into a fist and punched him in the face. The clone ended up stumbling backwards several feet but quickly regained his composure and was able to block Yumi's right punch with the flat edge of Kubikiribōchō.

_One minute and forty eight seconds._ Yumi thought to herself. _That's the longest I've been able to last against Kakashi using Lightning Fist. That means I have less than two minutes to get rid of this clone._

Zabuza pushed her back with his sword and then they both started attacking one another, all the while Yumi keeping track of the time. Zabuza focused on swinging his sword at her and she blocked and pushed the sword away with her chakra-covered hands. He also threw several kicks at her, which she was able to dodge and block for the most part.

Over a minute passed and one of his kicks was finally able to get past her defenses. She flew back several yards before the Earth caught her back rather unkindly. The impact caused her to cough up some blood but that was the least of her concerns as she saw Zabuza standing before her, raising his arms for a vertical strike.

Yumi was able to catch the blade with her hands just barely. The Zabuza clone gave her a smug look before pushing down harder on the blade. Yumi closed her eyes and focused more Lightning chakra to her hands but it wasn't enough to push the blade away. It was barely enough to stop him from bisecting her.

_It's been one minute and thirty one seconds!_ Yumi thought as she struggled to keep Kubikiribōchō mere inches from her chest._ I need to end this now! If I lose my Lightning Fist right now, his sword will slice me in half before I can do anything about it!_

She tried concentrating more chakra, but when Zabuza pushed some of his chakra into the blade it just ended up cancelling out. _Kuso! What do I do?_ Zabuza's eyes flashed maliciously at her failed attempt and she could practically see the smug smirk that he most certainly wore under his bandaged mouth as well.

_Shimatta...is this really the end?_ She couldn't help but wonder as her opponent continued to push down on the blade with all of his might. _Is this...how I die?_ The glow around her hands started to die down as Zabuza slowly gained the upper hand, forcing the blade closer and closer to her ever-vulnerable chest.

One minute and forty five seconds passed.

Out of nowhere four shuriken came flying for Zabuza's body from his right. Zabuza jumped back a couple of feet to avoid the weapons and then threw his head to the side to see who attacked him; Yumi mimicked his action.

"Sasuke...!" She airily gasped upon seeing said dark-haired Genin lower his arm, with a serious glare directed at the missing water nin. He and Zabuza had a glaring contest for a short period of time before Sasuke was forced to turn his attention back to his own fight.

Yumi pried her eyes from the man who irrefutably saved her life just in time to see the clone raise Kubikiribōchō for another vertical strike. Not to her surprise, Yumi had lost her Lightning Fist and was forced to dodge Zabuza's strike by rolling to her left.

She heard the blade crash into the ground and was momentarily relieved to discover she was uninjured from the blow. Kubikiribōchō remained in the ground for less than a second before Yumi heard Zabuza rip it back from the Earth again.

She tried to push herself off the floor, but failed and fell back to her butt with a pained hiss when she felt a sharp pain in her right side.

_Fuck! My cut from before when Zabuza almost bisected me has partially reopened!_ She realized as blood poured from her wound. Zabuza drew back his enormous blade with a deadly look in his eyes. _What to do, what to do! THINK, YOU BAKA, THINK_! She thought frantically when all of a sudden two kunai resting atop the ground, inches away from her left hand, caught her attention.

She instantly recognized them as the two kunai she used to block Kubikiribōchō from decapitating Kakashi right after she 'healed' her wound. Without hesitation she grabbed the two kunai with her left hand and chucked them both at the clone; one at his head and one at his heart. Zabuza was already in the middle of his swing and was unable to dodge the two kunai that seamlessly pierced his body at the two points Yumi had aimed for.

The clone's movements slowed considerably and his eyes widened right before he turned back into a puddle of water. Yumi blinked a few times and allowed herself a small sigh of relief as the two kunai she had thrown clanged to the ground.

_Yatta..._She thought as she took several deep breaths with her eyes closed. _I don't know how...but I won..._

Second later, Yumi forced herself back into reality and took in the scene around her. Kakashi was still trapped in the water prison with the real Zabuza holding him there. The remaining clone was currently crushing Sasuke with his foot while Naruto stood on the sidelines with a mix of shock and anger on his face.

Zabuza's clone pressed harder on Sasuke, eliciting pained cries and moans from said male. "You're nothing..." he taunted with a deep chuckle.

"Sasuke!" Yumi exclaimed. She tried to get up but fell to her knees. _Damn, I need to heal this cut! It's restricting my movement!_ She focused the chakra she had left to her right hand and brought it tentatively to her side. She relaxed slightly as the chakra started to ease her pain, all the while helplessly watching her teammate in pain.

_Just a little more...hold on Sasuke!_ She thought as she poured her chakra as fast as possible into her wound. A loud voice spoke up as Zabuza continued to torture a certain dark haired Genin. "Stop right there!" The blonde moved his hands into a very familiar seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Numerous Narutos appeared around Zabuza in a circle, all grinning like idiots. "Ohhhh shadow clones, hmm..." Zabuza mused. "And there appears to be quite a few of them. Interesting..."

The shadow clones all grabbed a kunai and unanimously shouted in different tones "Here we come!" She saw Sasuke struggling to prop himself up. _I need to do something!_ Yumi thought as she ceased healing her side. Just as Naruto's clones jumped in the air to attack Zabuza, Yumi charged as well.

Only her goal wasn't the water clone.

She grabbed Sasuke under his arms and retreated with him, several feet away from the mess. The two of them plopped to the ground with soft thuds and Yumi wasted no time in shifting Sasuke so that he was laying perpendicular across her lap, his back resting square on her thighs and his head hanging off.

Onyx orbs bored into her as she formed two very familiar signs and gently placed her hand atop his chest. He let out a small moan of pain as Yumi closed her eyes and focused on Sasuke's injuries.

A couple of bruised ribs, one seems to be fractured...

Yumi took a deep breath and poured a great deal of chakra into his ribcage. Sasuke inhaled harshly and clenched his teeth tightly to stop himself from crying out. Yumi pictured her chakra swirling around his bruised ribs and easing the stress on the tender bones. She then pushed another wave of chakra towards the rib that was fractured. She couldn't heal it right now, however she could make her chakra engulf the affected area like a shield.

Sasuke's body relaxed considerably as Yumi's efforts undoubtedly reduced the pain and made it easier for the male to breathe. Yumi opened her eyes and ceased the treatment, saving the little chakra she had left for her other teammates. "Is that better?"

Sasuke blinked his eyes open and gave a slow nod, an emotionless expression on his face. Yumi felt a small half-smile appear on her face, only to be quickly wiped off as an angry roar caught her attention. The Naruto clones all flew in different directions, most disappearing with a small 'poof'.

Sasuke and Yumi shared a brief look before they both helped each other up and ran towards the real Naruto who was searching in his bag for something. "I'm not through yet, 'teybayo!" He pulled something from his bag "Sasuke!" Naruto through the item to Sasuke who jumped in the air and caught it with ease, spinning around as he did so.

Yumi finally made it to Naruto's side and both of them, along with the Zabuza clone, watched Sasuke with great interest. Sasuke opened the item revealing a demon wind shuriken. Yumi tore her eyes from Sasuke and instead focused on the teammate beside her. "Are you hurt, Naruto?" She asked while simultaneously preparing her hand for medical treatment.

Naruto shook his head but winced slightly from the movement. "Uso." Yumi growled as she placed her hand on Naruto's stomach. A startling discovery made her gasp lightly as her eyes darted open. _This one's a shadow clone too!_ Naruto, for once, held a very serious gaze that told her to keep quiet. Yumi obliged with a curt nod and left her glowing hand on top of the clone, pretending to heal him.

She turned her head back to Zabuza and Sasuke just as Zabuza spoke. "A measly shuriken? You really think you can hit me with that, boy?" Sasuke ignored him and jumped up in the air, flinging the shuriken at the missing nin. The shuriken flew past the clone and aimed for the real Zabuza, who caught it with his free and gloated some about how easy this is.

Another shuriken appeared on course for the real Zabuza. _I get it! Sasuke threw a second shuriken in the shadow of the first to conceal its movements! And that must mean...that this shuriken is actually Naruto!_

Zabuza jumped over the second shuriken and gloated some more before...poof! The shuriken disappeared and in its place was Naruto with a kunai in hand. "YEA!" Yumi couldn't help but shout as she fist pumped the air.

Naruto threw the kunai and Zabuza was forced to move out of the way, freeing Kakashi from his water prison. Naruto began falling to the water when the angered nin whipped around and tried to attack him with the shuriken he had caught before.

Out of nowhere, Kakashi appeared and stopped the spinning shuriken with the back of his metal-plated glove. Naruto safely landed in the water with a splash and Yumi took this chance to go get him.

She ran to the water and walked on top of it with ease over to the bobbing blonde. "Yumi-chan!" He gasped while coughing up some water. "How are you doing that?" He asked in awe.

She bent down and grabbed him by his collar. "No time to explain." Yumi hoisted her partner out of the water and over her shoulder and then ran over to Sasuke on the shore while Zabuza and Kakashi conversed.

"Okay..." Yumi said as she gently lowered him onto his lap. "Let's see how hurt you are..." Yumi began examining her comrade with her chakra as Sasuke bent down next to her.

"Did you just...run on water?" He asked, slight astonishment in his tone.

"It's called chakra control, teme. Learn it and maybe one day you'll be able to walk on water too." She said dismissively while focusing on Naruto's condition, earning an annoyed 'che' from Sasuke.

_Okay, he's not that bad...lots of external bruising and some fatigue...but I don't sense any broken bones or serious internal injuries._

She began pumping her chakra into him to ease his tired and sore body. Naruto's eyes fluttered shut and he let out a relaxed sigh as he tilted his head back to the ground, a contempt grin on his face.

After a few minutes of healing, she felt a short pain and then felt a wave of information flash before her eyes. The shock caused her to gasp and cease her medical ninjutsu, attracting the attention of her two teammates.

_My water clone from before has finally been defeated. Seems like Zabuza had a young spy by the name of Haku watching the battle. He is very fast and agile; my clone couldn't land a single scratch on him!_

"Yumi-chan! Are you okay?" She snapped back to reality and was greeted by the concerned faces of her two comrades.

"It's nothing." Yumi said as she shook her head.

"You're lying." Sasuke said sharply as he continued to look at her with a slight glare.

"I just felt a big wave of exhaustion." She said as she gently removed Naruto from her lap and struggled to stand. She ultimately failed and was steadied when Sasuke grabbed her forearms.

"Sit." He demanded, still glaring.

She shook her head again. "There's something I have to do first."

Sasuke's eyes suddenly hardened and his voice grew very harsh. "Sit down! You are not fighting in your current state."

Yumi flinched ever so slightly at his small outburst. She honestly had no idea what he was getting so worked up over. "I'm not going to fight." She hissed, trying desperately to control her temper. "But I need to do something!"

"What?" He gripped her forearms tighter.

"I need to unfreeze the bridge builder!" She shouted with a glare. Realization dawned upon her once angry teammate causing him to considerably loosen his grip to the point where it was just firm enough to support her. Yumi took a deep breath "Look, I don't have a lot of chakra left and I lost a lot of blood. I'm probably going to pass out any minute now and I really need to unfreeze Tazuna before that. If I don't, well then he will be stuck like that until I wake up again. And who knows how long that'll be."

Sasuke stared at her for a moment before he gave a firm nod. "Alright." He moved to her left and draped Yumi's arm around his neck as he wrapped his own around her side. He slowly walked her over to Tazuna, Naruto joining them as well. When they were in front of him, Yumi untangled herself from Sasuke and began forming rapid signs. She placed her right hand square on his frozen chest and the ice began to absorb into her body, unfreezing the bridge builder in the process.

By the time she was finished, Yumi was slumped over and panting loudly. _That's it...that was the last of my chakra_. Tazuna swayed a little before he steadied himself and bellowed "WHAT IN TARNATION DID YOU DO TO ME!?" Yumi tried to stand up straight to explain but ended up collapsing, yet again, into pale arms.

The last thing she saw was Sasuke's charcoal eyes before she passed out.

* * *

**1. **Very long, very painful to write fight scene. I will probably be another two or three weeks again. During the summer I will update once or twice a week. Right now I don't have the time. My sentences are getting choppy. I'm really tired. Get some sleep my loves.

**2. Dictionary**

**Aho: **idiot; dumbass

**Baka: **idiot; fool; stupid

**Baka Yarou: **stupid bastard; stupid fool; dumb bastard

**Che: **Sasuke's response to almost anything; more of a grunt than an actual word; translated to 'hn' or 'hmpf'

**Chikusho: **dammnit!; fuck!

**Dattebayo/'Teybayo: **Naruto's verbal tic or catchphrase; roughly translated to 'believe it'

**Demo: **but

**Dobe: **dead last; loser; Sasuke's way of addressing Naruto

**Eto: **um; uh

**Gomenasai: **sorry

**Hai:** yes

**Kono yarou: **you bastard!; you fool!

**Kubikiribōchō: **Zabuza's sword; Executioner's blade

**Kuso: **shit!

**Nani: **what?

**Ojiisan: **Grandpa; Grandfather

**Shitsurei shimashita: **polite way to say 'I'm sorry'

**Shimatta: **crap, damn

**Shitteru yo: **I know

**So ka: **I see...

******Teme**: rude way of saying you; roughly translated to 'you bastard!'; Naruto's way of addressing Sasuke

**Uso: **liar

**Usuratonkaichi: **idiot; stupid; useless

**Yatta: **I did it

**Yuruse: **forgive me

**3. Jutsu**

Chakra Sensing Technique  
Handsign(s): Tiger  
Description: A skill used by sensor type Shinobi to detect someone's chakra. Using this technique, sensors can tell when enemies are approaching and can easily track down targets. The range of this technique varies between sensors. Yumi can feel chakra presences and distinguish between them by the different frequencies they give off.  
Rank: A  
Range: All ranges

Lightning Fist  
Hand Sign(s): Hare → Dog → Boar → Ram  
Description: Fighting style where Yumi uses her Electric Current Jutsu to pull out Lightning Chakra and then focuses it on her hands. She then engages her opponent in a Taijutsu battle with the Lightning Chakra enhancing her attacks. By pinpointing certain pressure points on the human body, Yumi can effectively shut down her opponent's body. The strength and general speed of the blows is also drastically increased.

Mystical Palm Technique  
Hand Sign(s): Ox → Tiger  
Description: This medical ninjutsu allows the user to speed up the body's natural healing process by sending chara from their hands into a wound or afflicted body part. This allows the user to heal a patient without the need for medical equipment or surgery, making it highly useful on the battlefield. It can be used to treat both external and internal injuries. It is vital to match the amount of chakra used to the severity of the affliction or injury. This requires a great amount of chakra control. Because of this, only a few highly skilled medical-nin are able to use this technique.  
Rank: A  
Range: Short range

Water Clone Jutsu  
Hand Sign(s): Tiger → Horse → Ox → Hare → Ram  
Description: The Water Clone Technique is similar to the Shadow Clone Technique except it creates clones out of water that have one-tenth of the original person's power. Like other solid clone techniques, the clones can be used to perform tasks the user is unable or unwilling to do for themself. The range of the clone is limited however, as it cannot travel very far from the original body without losing control. Like other clone techniques, if the water clones are injured enough they will revert back to normal water.  
Rank: C  
Range: Short range

Water Freeze Technique  
Hand Sign(s): Rat → Tiger → Snake → Hare → Rat → Ram → Dragon → Tiger → Ox  
Description: The user freezes an object or person to its core after they are soaked in water. Can be undone by the user performing the same seals in reverse.

Water Seeping Technique  
Hand Sign(s): Serpent → Dog → Boar → Ox  
Description: A technique where water is emitted from the body from the hands, feet, etc. in order to create a puddle of water. Skilled users can direct where the water flows and how much is released. Lightning release is often used in conjunction with this jutsu to electrocute the opponent.  
Rank: D  
Range: Depends


	8. Nightmares

**Author's Note: **Wow, that took a lot longer than I thought it would...In my defense it's because of fucking organic chemistry. The only reason I'm taking time out of my schedule to update is because I have completely given up on the course. Seriously, I've been taking it for a year now and all I know is how to draw the perfect hexagon, electron pair repulsion and that Carbon is a filthy whore. Yep, that's about the extent of my knowledge in regards to orgo.

Okay, now that my rant is over, another couple of weeks before I update. When I do, I will finally finish the Zabuza saga (whoop whoop) and then we get to the good shit. The pace of the story is kinda slow right now, but it'll pick up at the start of the Chuunin Exams, te prometo. Plus, I'm almost done with school so I should start updating regularly starting next, next update. Basically, as soon as the story starts gettin' good I'll be updating at least once a week!

So, here we gooooooo!

AsheXChan

* * *

The next morning, Yumi woke with a start and sprang up instantly. The action caused a blinding pain in her right side; eliciting a pointed hiss from the young Kunoichi. She slowly lay back down before closing her eyes and taking several deep breaths. _It was just a dream, no, nightmare..._Yumi consoled herself as she continued to breathe the pain away.

Once the pain had been reduced to a mild sting she tentatively opened her eyes. She was lying on a small cot in an unfamiliar room with an open balcony to her left and a pair of sliding, wooden doors to her right. Using her left arm, Yumi carefully removed the blanket that was covering her body.

She was slightly embarrassed to find herself topless, spare her black sports bra which, thankfully, had been left untouched. Her pants and belt were also on her body, though her necklace, forehead protector, gloves, sandals, bow, quiver and weapons pouches had all been removed.

Her stomach, right arm and both hands were bandaged snugly, and she had a couple of gauze pads on other parts of her body that had been scratched or shallowly cut during the fight as well. _The fight! _She inwardly exclaimed. _I wonder how it ended...I'm guessing we won and Zabuza was killed since I'm still alive. But then again, he did say there was some sense in sparing my life..._

She shook that thought from her head. _No. There's no way Kakashi lost. I just know it. Besides, if I was taken prisoner then they would probably restrain me. At the very least they wouldn't leave my weapons pouches two and a half fucking feet from my body. They probably wouldn't put me in a room with a wide ass open balcony either. Zabuza isn't stupid. Sexy, yes; stupid, no._

Yumi gradually eased her body up into a sitting position and reached over to grab her beige weapons pouch. She retrieved her blue scroll and placed it on her lap while slowly unwrapping the bandages covering her body. Once they, along with the gauze pads, had all been removed, she partially opened the scroll and unsealed several medical items.

Using said items, Yumi cleaned all of the minor wounds on her body and then applied some healing balm on them as well. Afterwards, she formed two very familiar seals and watched as her hand turned an equally familiar shade of green. She cautiously lowered her hand to the wound on her right side and allowed her eyes to flutter shut as she analyzed the injury.

_It's doing much better than before. _She thought as she slowly began to pump chakra into it. _This won't take too long…_

Little more than five minutes later, she pulled her hand away from the wound and ceased the flow of chakra. _There, much better. _As a precaution Yumi quickly rewrapped her lower abdomen before turning her attention to the long, vertical cut adorning her right arm.

She grabbed the jar of healing balm and gently massaged it onto her wound. Once finished Yumi rewrapped her arm as well before sealing everything back into her scroll. Slipping on her worn gloves, necklace and blue tank, she slowly forced her aching body to stand.

It took a few moments for her to steady her shaking legs, but after she was able to successfully do so Yumi made her way to the door. Upon finding it unlocked, she slid the panels open and exited the room.

Practically the instant she stepped out into the hallway, Naruto's loud voice caught her attention. Smirking slightly, she closed the doors and followed her teammate's voice to a closed room a couple of doors down from the one she had been in. Finding this door unlocked as well, she wasted no time in letting herself in.

"Hey Kaka-sensei, your 'Shary-gen' is really cool and all, but if it takes so much energy then maybe you shouldn't use it so much, ne."

"It's 'Sharingan', usuratonkaichi."

Yumi entered the room to find Naruto, Sasuke, Tazuna and a young woman all roughly surrounding Kakashi who was lying down on a cot similar to the one Yumi had found herself in not too long ago. No one seemed to notice her presence as she quietly took a step inside.

"Sumimasen." Kakashi gruffly responded. From his tone Yumi could tell he A, wasn't sorry and B, was having difficulty speaking. Either way she was glad to see that her team was still alive and well...for the most part at least.

"Well, you did eliminate an extremely powerful ninja assassin, so we should be okay for some time." Tazuna interjected.

Yumi took this time to close the door in a not-so-subtle manner so as to alert the occupants in the room of her presence. Five heads snapped towards her and she offered a small smile as a greeting.

"Well, well look who's finally up." Tazuna greeted with a small grin.

"YUMI-CHAN!" Naruto exclaimed as he jumped to his feet and ran over to her. "ARE YOU OKAY? HOW ARE YOU FEELING? DOES YOUR ARM HURT? ARE YOU HUNGRY? DO YOU WANT RAMEN?"

"I would be much better if you weren't screaming in my fucking ear." Yumi growled with the best glare she could conjure up on the spot.

It was convincing enough to bring a sheepish look to Naruto's face as he whispered, as much as someone like Naruto COULD whisper, "Sorry, Yumi-chan."

She caught sight of Sasuke smirking and offered a small nod at him, which he returned casually before a new voice spoke up. "So, I take it you are feeling better then?"

Sidestepping Naruto, she slowly walked over to the group. "I'm doing a helluva lot better than you." Stopping in front of her sensei, she slowly lowered herself to the floor. "You look like shit, Kakashi." Yumi said with a small, teasing grin.

He offered a small noise of agreement before continuing. "Well, I certainly have felt better. It'll probably be a week before I can move normally again."

"So, what happened exactly? After I passed out, I mean." Yumi got straight to the point. She was honestly too damn curious to beat around the bush right now.

"Right, well..." Kakashi explained the rest of the battle to her, but there was one part that piqued her interest.

"Wait, so you are saying that a boy wearing a mask killed Zabuza with some senbon and then took his body away?" Yumi asked uncertainly. She had a sneaking suspicion that masked boy was the same one her water clone had fought; the one called Haku. And if that was the case, then Zabuza was not dead. Not even close.

"Yea, what was up with that masked guy anyways, 'teybayo?" Naruto cut in.

Kakashi explained that the boy was a hunter-nin from Kirigakure and Yumi felt her stomach drop. _The boy I fought...his mask was a kiri hunter-nin mask...Chikusho, I should've known when I fought him..._

Noticing her pensive look, Kakashi addressed the sole Kunoichi of his team. "Is something wrong, Yumi-san?"

Yumi absentmindedly nodded her head as her gaze trailed to Kakashi. "This hunter-nin, did he wear a green haori and have long, dark hair that framed his face?"

Kakashi narrowed his eye and Naruto gasped lightly. "Yea, he did. But how did you know that?"

"Kuso!" Yumi growled as she punched the ground with her right fist in anger.

"Yumi-chan! What's wrong?" Naruto exclaimed.

"Zabuza...he's still alive." She spat, her eyes still fixated on the floor.

"WHAAAAAAAT!?" Naruto and Tazuna both shrieked as the woman and Sasuke gasped.

"What do you mean?" Kakashi prodded, his voice serious.

"That boy...I fought with him before. He's on Zabuza's side, no doubt about it."

"B-but we saw his body! You even checked him yourself Kakashi-sensei! Dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed.

"That's right, you said he didn't have a pulse." Sasuke added, his voice much calmer than Naruto's yet still carrying a tiny waver. Or maybe Yumi just imagined it.

"It was all an act." Yumi said, shaking her head. "If he used senbon then he could have easily put Zabuza into a temporary death-like state through the pressure points in his neck. Doing so would have stopped his heart and given the illusion of death."

"B-but-" Before Naruto could stutter some more, Kakashi interrupted.

"What do you mean you fought him before?"

"During the battle with Zabuza, when he first created the mist, I tried to find him by locating his chakra. Naturally he had dispersed his chakra throughout the mist so that I couldn't locate his position, however I did discover something else."

"Something else?" Sasuke echoed.

"Yea, another chakra presence to be precise. One that didn't belong to Zabuza, Kakashi, Naruto, Sasuke or I. They were suppressing their presence as much as humanly possible though, like they didn't want to be found out. I thought it was weird so I created a water clone and had it backtrace the mysterious chakra to the source."

"And that's when you fought him?" Kakashi asked.

"Hai. He said his name was Haku and that he worked for Zabuza. Hell, he called himself 'Zabuza's weapon'! Zabuza is clearly using the kid which makes the whole situation that much more dangerous. Either way, my clone was no match for that kid. He's fast - very fast. And he is very adept with senbon. Eventually my clone was defeated, but before I could tell you guys about Haku I passed out from blood loss and chakra fatigue. I apologize."

"It makes sense..." Kakashi started thoughtfully. "After all, hunter-nin are supposed to dispose of the body as quickly as possible; that boy took the body with him instead of destroying it on the scene. Additionally he used throwing needles. But senbon are rarely fatal unless they puncture a vital organ - not in the neck."

"Wait, so Zabuza really is alive?" Sasuke asked.

"Yea, it looks that way..." Kakashi said with a sigh.

"Hold on just a minute there! You said it yourself that you won't be able to move normally for another week! How are you supposed to fight Zabuza in your current state?" Tazuna shouted. His voice was full of anger and frustration, but his eyes showed a different emotion.

Fear.

"I may not be able to move as well as I usually would, but I can still train my team."

"What?" Yumi gasped as she whipped her head around to face him.

"What are you talking about!?" Tazuna roared. "You were barely able to defeat Zabuza even with your Sharingan! What good would some last minute training of these runts do against someone like him?"

"The only reason I was able to defeat Zabuza in the first place is because my team helped me." Yumi could only blink in surprise as Kakashi continued in an even, yet firm, tone. "You've grown - all of you have. In fact, Naruto's grown the most."

Yumi turned to face Naruto and watched as his expression changed from one of mild surprise to a small, proud grin from being acknowledged by Kakashi.

"Heh, so you noticed Sensei! My Taijutsu has gotten much better, dattebayo!"

"That's because you have a kick-ass Sensei, ne." Yumi said with a smirk.

"That's right!" Naruto declared with a huge grin. "I have the best Sensei in the world!"

"Geez you two, I wouldn't go THAT far..." Kakashi said meekly.

"Eto, actually I was kinda talking about Yumi-chan..." Naruto stated awkwardly as Yumi suppressed a chuckle. "But you're pretty cool too, I guess." Naruto added as an afterthought.

"Ano, what...?" Kakashi asked.

"That's right." Yumi said as she threw her left arm around the blonde's neck. "I took Aho here as my Taijutsu apprentice a couple of weeks ago. We train together in between missions and after practice and such."

Kakashi sweatdropped as Naruto nodded his head vigorously in agreement. "Yea! With two awesome Senseis there's just no way I'm gunna lose against someone like Zabuza! That's a promise!"

"You're lying!" A childish voice from behind them accused. Everyone turned their attention to the doorway to see a young boy, no older than eight years old, standing with an angry pout on his face.

_Greaaaaaat. Just what I needed: an annoying little brat to piss me off. _Yumi thought as she rolled her eyes.

"Hey! Just who the heck are you?!" Naruto demanded as he pointed at the young boy.

"Oh Inari! There you are!" Tazuna suddenly exclaimed as he held his arms wide open for the boy who yelled "Ojiichan!" before running up and flinging himself into the old man.

"Inari! That was very rude of you!" The unnamed woman scolded as she put her hands on her hips. "These ninja brought your grandpa here safely all the way from Konohagakure!"

"Don't worry about it, Tsunami; I'm rude to them too." Tazuna defended with a grin as he continued to hold Inari close to him with his left arm.

"No kidding." Yumi scoffed quietly as the child, Inari, continued to stare down the four ninja in the room.

"But Kaachan!" Inari whined, his attention now on Tsunami. "Don't you see these people are gunna die? Gatou and his henchmen will kill them if they stay here!"

"What did you say you little brat!?" Naruto shouted while jumping to his feet. "Listen up kid! You know what a super ninja is? Well that's me only so much cooler!..."

Yumi groaned and facepalmed as Naruto started talking about super ninjas and superheroes and, you guessed it, how he's gunna be Hokage one day.

"Ha, there's no such thing as superheroes. You're just a stupid kid full of stupid ideas!" Inari shouted right back at him.

Naruto was quiet for a millisecond before he erupted "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY TO ME!?"

"Enough, Naruto." Yumi said harshly as she reached out and grabbed Naruto's wrist, pulling him to the ground. "Give it up."

The blonde grunted loudly as he fell to the floor harshly and Inari spoke again. "If you want to stay alive then just go back to wherever it is you came from." He said icily before turning around and leaving the room.

"Inari! Where are you going?" Tsunami demanded.

"I'm going to my room. I want to be alone." He said as he slid the door open and left, Tsunami following shortly after him while calling his name.

A couple moments of silence passed before Tazuna sighed lightly and apologized on Inari's behalf.

"It's not a big deal." Yumi said with a shrug; but Naruto was a different story. He was visibly shaking with anger before he stood up and stomped out of the room. A couple more moments of silence passed before Yumi spoke up. "I'm sorry, you see my teammate is a fucking hot-headed moron."

"Che." Sasuke scoffed in agreement.

"Anyways..." Yumi drawled while standing up. "Are we gunna get some training done today or what?"

"Uh, right." Kakashi slowly started to sit up. "Are you sure you are well enough to train Yumi?" Kakashi said before grunting in pain from his own soreness.

"Hold on." Yumi said as she crouched down next to him and firmly placed her hand on his chest, lowering him back to the ground. "I'm fine but you look like you could use some treatment." She formed her seals and waited for her hand to turn green.

Kakashi tried to protest but Yumi ignored him and placed her glowing hand on his forehead. Unfortunately Kakashi was mainly suffering from chakra fatigue (due to him overusing his Sharingan), which is considerably harder to heal than regular physical fatigue is. Because of this, the best Yumi could do was alleviate the remaining physical fatigue as well as some of the soreness and stiffness of his body.

A small sigh escaped Kakashi's lips as his body relaxed a little bit. After a couple of moments, Sasuke stood up to leave the room. "Where do you think you are going teme?" Yumi demanded, her focus still on her Sensei.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly before responding in a curt tone. "None of your business."

"Chigau." Yumi said shaking her head. "Wrong answer, teme. The CORRECT response is that you are going to sit your ass back down until I am done healing Kakashi."

"And why would I do that?" He lightly hissed, his glare intensifying a tiny bit.

"Because after I am done healing Kakashi I want to check you out."

"Check me out...?"

"Yea, I want to make sure your ribcage is healing properly. It'll only take a few moments."

Sasuke blinked a couple of times before his eyes narrowed again, this time less intense. "There's no need; I'm fine."

"I wasn't asking, Uchiha."

"What about Naruto? You didn't heal him."

"No, I didn't. Naruto only had some external bruising and moderate physical fatigue when I checked him on the battlefield. If we are going to be training now I don't want to waste my chakra healing every single bruise and scratch on his body.

"You, however, had several bruised ribs and one cracked one from when Zabuza crushed your chest. If you try to train with internal injuries like those, you could end up breaking your fractured rib which, as I'm sure you know, could turn fatal if it were to puncture an internal organ such as your lungs."

Sasuke glared at her back for a few moments before she drove the point home. "If you want to train with Naruto and I then you have to let me check out your chest - no exceptions."

He glared for about a minute more before quietly sitting back down. Yumi smirked at her victory and continued to heal Kakashi for another couple of minutes before she finally took her hand away. "There. NOW you are set to train us."

Kakashi slowly started sitting up again, this time with much more ease. "Arigatou, Yumi-san. I do feel much better."

"I know." She said with a cocky grin as she got to her feet so that she could help Kakashi up. Once on his feet, Kakashi swayed considerably and nearly collapsed when he tried to take a step. Luckily for him, Yumi was there to steady him.

"Sorry, I guess my body is still a little too weak to move on its own yet." Kakashi said with a sigh.

"I think we have crutches somewhere around here if you would like to use them, Kakashi-san." Tazuna offered as he stood as well.

"That would be great." Kakashi agreed as Tazuna walked over and helped said man walk out of the room to find the crutches.

"Alright teme, you're up next." Yumi said as she sat down next to her teammate, just as Tazuna and Kakashi walked out of the room.

"Hn." Was the only reply she got as she fixed herself cross-legged next to the brooding Genin.

"Okay, shirt off Uchiha." Yumi said boredly.

Sasuke whipped his head around to glare at her, a mixture of anger, disbelief and slight embarrassment on his face as he hissed "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." She said in an authoritative and demeaning tone with a glare of her own. "Or are you hearing impaired?"

He scoffed before demanding "Why?" all the while burning a couple of holes in her head with his glare. It was a good thing for Yumi that looks couldn't kill, because if there was one thing the young Uchiha could do better than anything else it was give a death glare. Hell, he had it down to an art form.

"Because I have nothing better to do with my time than admire your abs. Clearly." She replied with dry sarcasm which just seemed to intensify Sasuke's glare even more, something she would not have even thought possible had she not seen it with her own two eyes.

After a couple seconds of heavy silence, Yumi yelled in an aggravated tone. "Because I need to check out your ribcage, you fucking baka! Now take off your goddamn shirt already!"

"Can't you do that with my shirt on? You did before." Sasuke sneered in scornful tone.

"Yes. I did. But that was because I felt it might have been a little unnecessary to rip your shirt off in the middle of the battlefield. Now take it off! I'm not a very good medical ninja and I don't want to risk misreading something because I couldn't directly touch your chest."

"What about your gloves?!"

"What about them!?"

"Even if I take my shirt off you can't directly touch my chest if you keep your gloves on!"

Yumi let out an annoyed growl before yelling "These are special, chakra-conducting gloves that will help me perform medical-ninjutsu. Your shirt won't. Take. It. **Off**!"

"You're obviously lying, dobe! Those are just regular leather gloves!"

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way, kusotare!"

"I'm not taking my shirt off!"

"Take it off or I will, teme!"

* * *

When he found Inari crying over a photograph of a man he called 'Touchan', Naruto had decided to leave him be for the time being. Naruto certainly wasn't a genius by any standards, but even he could tell the kid was grieving from the loss of someone special to him. There was no need to kick him when he was already down.

After eating some rice balls Tsunami had prepared, Naruto left the kitchen and bumped into Kakashi who was using a pair of crutches to get by. "Oh, hey Kakashi-sensei. Are we gunna train soon?" He casually greeted.

"Yea. Can you go find Yumi and Sasuke and tell them we are meeting in the forest in half an hour?"

"Yup, you got it." And with that, the blonde left to go find his two teammates. Before he even reached the bottom of the staircase, he heard a loud _thump_. "Huh?" Naruto gasped as he made his way up the stairs. By the time he reached the hallway, he heard more _thumps_ and _thuds_ along with loads of swearing.

He hurried his gait to the room where all the sounds were coming from and opened the door only to freeze at the sight in front of him. He wasn't sure what he was expecting to see, but out of all of the possible scenarios he certainly was not expecting this one. Not in a million years.

Yumi was straddling a TOPLESS Sasuke who was lying on his back, his hands tightly gripping one end of a piece of blue cloth while Yumi's hands gripped the other end. Both of them bore glares that would make Satan himself uneasy and were shouting at each other.

"GIVE ME THE FUCKING SHIRT YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"

"Get off of me baka busu!"

They both pulled at their respective end of the shirt, and after several minutes of grunting and struggling to get the item, Yumi was finally able to pry the shirt from Sasuke's hands.

"HA! SUCCESS!" Yumi yelled as she laughed maniacally, holding the shirt above her head with her left hand. Sasuke tried to reclaim the item, but with Yumi sitting on his lower abdomen he couldn't sit up enough to snatch it from her hand.

"Give. It. **Back.**" He snarled.

"Oh? You want this here shirt?" Yumi teased holding it just out of the range of his arms. "Too bad." She said with a grin as she tossed it across the room. Sasuke protested an angry 'Hey!', but it went unheeded.

"Now, sit still and be a good little boy and this will be over before you know it." She said with an insane grin.

Before Sasuke got a chance to respond, Naruto finally found his voice. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING!?" He screeched with horror-filled eyes and his cheeks a bright, bright scarlet as he pointed accusingly at the two of them.

"Naruto...!" Sasuke gasped as his eyes widened and he blushed lightly.

"Well, I'M trying to check out Teme's ribs to make sure that he won't drop DEAD during training! Dickhead, on the other hand, is throwing a temper tantrum like a whiny little bitch and won't let me touch his bare chest!"

"You tackled me to the ground, ripped my shirt off and then threw it across the room and you think I'M the one acting like a bitch and throwing a tantrum?!"

"Details..." Yumi said in a bored tone.

"You're insane!" Sasuke hissed.

Yumi simply rolled her eyes. "Tell me something I don't know, Uchiha."

They glared at each other for a few moments before Naruto spoke up. "What the hell?!"

"Is there something you want, Naruto?" Yumi addressed her other teammate while still glaring at Sasuke.

"Uh-"

"I mean, I assume you are here for a reason, right Naruto?" Yumi interjected, her voice irritable.

"Uh, yeah. Kaka-sensei wanted me to tell you two that we are training in half an hour in the woods."

"Great. Message delivered. You can go now."

"What?-"

"Seriously. Leave. Now."

Naruto hesitated for a moment before he left the room, closing the doors behind him. He didn't want to get on Yumi's bad side when she was this angry. She would probably kill him in a fit of rage if no one stopped her.

"Will you get off of me now?!" Sasuke demanded.

"Nope." Yumi said as she made her medical signs and waited for her hand to turn green.

"And why **not**?" He hissed.

"Because you pissed me off. Now stay still." Yumi closed her eyes and placed her hand flat on his chest.

_The bruised ribs seem to be healing nicely. _She poured some more chakra into his chest to get a better reading. _No change in the fractured one...the crack is relatively small but if he were to get hit the right way with enough force, it could break and puncture his left lung._

Frowning she pulled her hand away and opened her eyes, a conflicted look on her face. _I could try to heal the bone now, but I'm honestly not even sure I can do so. Either way, it'll waste a lot of chakra...Not to mention I'm sure it'll hurt like a bitch..._

Furrowing his eyebrows, Sasuke tentatively addressed his teammate. "What is it?"

Yumi sighed and shook her head lightly. _Oh well, might as well try. _"Listen up, teme. I'm going to try to fix your cracked rib. This is probably gunna hurt like a bitch, but I don't think you should be training unless your rib is healed."

Sasuke looked at her for a few moments before giving a slow nod of consent. Yumi prepared her hand again and then lowered it directly above the fractured rib. The moment her hand made contact with Sasuke's chest, she sent a huge wave of chakra to the bone.

Sasuke inhaled sharply and clenched his fists in pain as Yumi made her chakra focus on the tiny cut in his bone. She poured more and more chakra in, slowly forcing the bone cells to regrow and the crack to mend itself.

The procedure lasted several minutes long as Sasuke writhed around in pain trying his best to muffle screams and moans. By the time Yumi was finally done, the two of them were sweating and panting while staring into each other's eyes. They spent an undetermined amount of time like this before Yumi gave a small, half-smile and a curt nod to indicate that she had been successful. Sasuke returned the gesture and so Yumi got off of the young Uchiha.

She stretched her body a little and then extended her hand to Sasuke. The Genin stared at it impassively for a few moments before he took hold of her hand and allowed her to help him up. Yumi then walked across the room and bent down to grab his shirt. Turning towards him, she threw the item at him which he caught easily.

With a small smirk she said, "Go splash some cold water on your face or something teme. You look like shit." And then turned around and left the room.

* * *

Thirty minutes later three Genin surrounded a silver-haired Jounin on crutches in the middle of the woods. "Alright you three, training begins now."

"WOOHOO!" Naruto exclaimed as Yumi and Sasuke just sighed.

"First we will review chakra: the ninja's basic source of power. In order to perform any Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, one must be able to understand and effectively use chakra."

"We already know that." Sasuke stated in an annoyed tone.

"Uh, yea, that's right. We learned about catra back in the academy, dattebayo!" Naruto added, trying to appear intelligent….

And failing miserably.

"It's called chakra, Naruto." Kakashi sweatdropped as he corrected him. "Yumi, would you like to explain what chakra is?"

"Uh…sure?" Yumi started uncertainly before she went into an explanation on what chakra is and how to use it.

"Right on all points." Kakashi praised before he was cut off by and annoyed Naruto.

"Ahhh who gives a crap about these complicated explanations! The whole point is to learn the jutsu, isn't it?"

"For once I agree with the dobe. After all, we already know how to use chakra." Sasuke said.

"No! You have not mastered chakra control – in fact you've barely scratched the surface!..." Kakashi continued to explain why chakra is so important while Yumi just tuned him out. After all, since she was a sensor and med-nin her chakra control was quite exceptional.

"Matte, so then how do we improve our chakra control Sensei?" Naruto asked.

"Simple. All you have to do is…climb a tree."

"Climb a tree?" Sasuke and Naruto repeated.

"Yup. But there is one rule: you can't use your hands."

"Whaaaa? Kakashi-sensei you have to be joking!" Naruto exclaimed as Sasuke merely stared at him skeptically.

"Am I?" Kakashi asked as he formed the ram seal with his hands. After a moment or two, he walked over to the nearest tree and easily climbed it using nothing but the crutches and his feet. When he got to the first branch he walked onto that and then stopped while standing upside down.

Sasuke gasped lightly as Naruto shouted "Whoa! How are you doing that Kaka-sensei!?"

"Draw your chakra towards the bottom of your feet and then make it connect to the tree trunk. This is one example of how to use chakra."

"How is something like that going to help us fight Zabuza?" Sasuke demanded.

This time Yumi spoke up, annoyance evident in her voice, "In order to do this, you will need to draw a precise amount of chakra to the hardest part of your body – your feet. You will also have to maintain a perfect balance of spiritual and physical energy in order to make it all the way to the top. This is something even Chuunin and Jounin struggle with. However, if you can master this then you can master any jutsu. At least, in theory."

"Exactly. But just lecturing isn't going to be enough. I need all of you to learn it firsthand." Kakashi tossed down two kunai that landed at Sasuke and Naruto's feet. "Use that to mark how high you can climb. Then, try to get past that mark the next time, and the next, and so forth. First gather your chakra and then run towards the tree so that you can use your momentum to help give you a head start. Any questions?"

Naruto was about to say something but Sasuke beat him to the punch. "Why doesn't Yumi have a kunai?"

"Yumi is already very adept at chakra control. Chakra sensing and medical ninjutsu both require an incredible amount of chakra control in order to perform successfully. Because of this, Yumi would be able to climb the tree as easily as I did. Furthermore, she was able to walk on water during the battle which is considerably harder than this exercise."

Both male Genin spared her a glance and Yumi just shrugged. "Okay, are you two ready then?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto grabbed his kunai and grinned. "Of course I am! This is going to be so easy! You just watch, Sensei! After all, you did say I was the one who grew the most, ne!"

"You certainly talk the most, now get started already!" And with that, both Naruto and Sasuke formed the ram seal and focused on drawing chakra to their feet. A short pause passed before both of them rushed towards the tree. Naruto barely made it two steps before falling on his head. Sasuke made a couple of meters before he cracked the tree and had to backflip away.

Yumi instantly started giggling, which attracted the attention of her three teammates. "I'm…sorry." She said trying hard not to laugh. "But…that was just so…damn pitiful!" She choked out.

Sasuke and Naruto both glared at her before they tried again and again, each time getting only slightly higher. By about the fifth try, Kakashi called Yumi's name and started making his way down the tree. "What's up, Kakashi?" Yumi said casually.

"I want to teach you something." He said as he began walking off into the woods, motioning Yumi to follow him. Yumi shrugged and trailed behind her Sensei for several minutes until he stopped a ways away from Naruto and Sasuke.

"So, what did you want to show me then?"

Kakashi turned around to face her. "When I got stuck in the Water prison, I took the time to watch you, Naruto and Sasuke fight. By objectively watching you three fight Zabuza's clones, I got to see your strengths and weaknesses first-hand. Yumi, if I were to ask you what your biggest weakness was right now, what would you say?"

Yumi's eyes widened slightly as she took a few moments to seriously consider this. "Hmm, I guess I would say that my lack of physical strength is my biggest weakness. Especially against someone like Zabuza, my blows and kicks had absolutely no effect on him whatsoever. Hell, I was barely able to block most of his attacks, let alone successfully counterattack."

Kakashi nodded absentmindedly. "Interesting that you would say that..." When Yumi furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, Kakashi continued. "It's true that you don't have the raw physical strength of someone like Zabuza or I, but you do have something else: incredible chakra control."

"I...I don't understand?"

"You knew from the beginning that if it came down to a battle of raw strength between you and Zabuza that you would stand no chance. So, you compensated for this by using your chakra. You were able to funnel regular chakra through a kunai to go head to head with Kubikiribōchō. You were also able to concentrate Lightning chakra to your hands to increase your physical strength and Taijutsu even further.

"There's no doubt in my mind that your chakra control and prowess is by far your greatest strength. The fact that you had the skill to manipulate your chakra in order to increase your physical power is proof of that - to say nothing of the fact that you are an apprentice medical-nin and rather accomplished sensor."

Yumi blinked at the praise. "Um, thanks. I guess I didn't really think about it like that. What do you think is my weakness then?"

"Well, considering the fact that you have already overcome the issue of you lacking raw physical strength, I would say your speed and agility would be your next weakness."

Yumi felt her eyes bulge slightly. "My speed?! What the hell? I'm the fastest one on the team! Well, not including you. But still, I'm pretty fucking fast for someone my age!"

"I never said you weren't. The fact of the matter is your skills way surpass what someone your age should be capable of, especially in regards to chakra prowess. Your Ninjutsu and Bukijutsu are excellent and your Genjutsu is above par as well. By using chakra, you have been able to drastically improve your Taijutsu and physical strength. So the only thing that is really left to work on is your speed and general agility."

"Okay, well if that's the case then how am I supposed to do that? You can barely move, so sparing with you is out of the question. And since both Naruto and Sasuke are working on chakra control..."

"Well, I thought the best way for you to tackle the problem of not being able to physically keep up with someone as fast as me, Zabuza or that kid you called Haku is to overcome it the same way you overcame the problem of you not being as physically strong as someone like me."

"Wait, you mean...?"

"Exactly." Kakashi said as Yumi felt her eyes widen slightly. This sure wasn't going to be easy, she could just tell.

"But...how?"

"Listen closely to what I am about to tell you..."

* * *

Yumi lay panting on the soft grass, her eyes threatening to close out of pure exhaustion. A couple of feet away, her sensei snapped his small, orange book shut and turned to face her. "Are you alright, Yumi-san? I know that this technique is very taxing and requires a lot of chakra, but still I thought you would last a little longer. It hasn't even been two hours yet."

Finally able to catch her breath some Yumi spoke. "Gomen Kakashi. I burned a lot of chakra before we even began training when I healed Sasuke's fractured rib."

"So ka...Well that certainly explains it. Usually you last at least twice as long before you reach your limit. You're probably experiencing some chakra fatigue from the fight with Zabuza as well. Why don't you call it a day then? You can go grab something to eat back at Tazuna-san's house and then get some rest. We'll resume training again tomorrow morning." Kakashi said as he slowly stood up and grabbed his crutches.

"Okay..." Yumi said in a small voice. Normally she would fight Kakashi tooth and nail to continue training even after she had exhausted all of her chakra and was so tired she could barely stand. But not today. The battle had taken a lot out of her and so had this new training. She just didn't have the strength to keep going.

"Okay, let's go check on Naruto and Sasuke then."

"I'll meet you there in a minute." She said as she heard him walk off. She was too tired to move at the moment. Perhaps if she closed her eyes for just a minute….

* * *

Yumi's eyes widened in sheer terror as she slowly approached the body in front of her. She bent down to touch it but hesitated an inch away from the neck. Taking a shaky breath, she lowered her index and middle fingers to the person's neck to check for a pulse.

After a minute she pulled her hand away and a wavering sob escaped her lips.

_He's dead. Hatake Kakashi is…dead. _Turning to her left she saw her other teammate Sasuke lying in a pool of his own blood, just as Kakashi was. His eyes were wide open in fear and his lips were parted in what was undoubtedly a panicked cry he released right before his death.

_No, he can't be dead. Not Sasuke too. _She checked for a pulse just like she had for Kakashi and couldn't stop the tears that rolled down her face as the realization dawned upon her that he really WAS dead.

Yumi stood up shakily, her thoughts reeling. _No…..no no no nonononono! Not again! This….this can't be happening to me! It has to be a Genjutsu!"_

"It isn't." Yumi snapped her panic-stricken eyes up to see Zabuza standing a few yards away, his sword dripping with blood….THEIR blood.

"What….WHAT DID YOU DO TO THEM!?" She screamed, her voice filled with raw emotion as more tears escaped.

"I would think you were smart enough to figure that one out for yourself, girl. Maybe I should have just killed you when I had the chance."

"NO! NONONO! THEY CAN'T BE DEAD! BRING THEM BACK! I'LL DO ANYTHING! JUST BRING THEM BACK TO ME!" She screamed while holding her head with both hands and staring at the ground.

"Che, they CAN'T be brought back. Dead is dead. I would think you would know that by now…..Leila-chan."

She suddenly froze, her gaze solidly fixed on the floor as she was too afraid to look up. "What did you just call me?" Her wavering voice was barely above a whisper.

She heard someone chuckle. Not Zabuza's deep, sinister chuckle, but a different kind. One that belonged to only one man she knew of. Yumi whipped her head up and took a shaky gasp to see that Zabuza was no longer standing there, instead it was HIM.

"You….!"

"That's right my dear Leila-chan. It was me all along." He took a step towards her.

"But how…why?" She stumbled backwards only to fall on her butt.

He was suddenly towering over her. "Because you allowed yourself to get attached to them - a deadly mistake. "

"I-I'm not-"

"Oh but you ARE, my dear, which is exactly why I killed them. My, how selfish you have become child. To go to Konoha and join a team – to attempt a normal life in one of the great nations." He let out another chuckle. "Did you really think that I wouldn't find you? Did you think that it was that easy to get away from me? Perhaps you had forgotten about me altogether, but either way you messed up. And now, your team is dead because of you."

Yumi violently shook her head as her entire body trembled fiercely in front of him. A sudden thought crossed her mind and she couldn't stop herself from asking. "Where's Naruto?"

His malicious grin doubled in size. "Are you sure you really want to know the answer to that, my child?"

She shook her head again "No…he can't be…."

"Yes." He extended his arm to point to a body in a bright orange jumpsuit lying in a pool of blood a couple of meters to her left. Staring at the body, she realized something was wrong, more specifically something was missing.

"Is something wrong, Leila-chan? You look a tad flushed. Perhaps this will make you feel better." She felt something bump into her right leg and couldn't stop her head from very slowly turning to see what it was.

She let out another cry as her right hand flew to her mouth. It was the missing piece of Naruto's limp body – his head. His eyes and mouth were open in a fashion similar to Sasuke's, and his skin and hair was covered in blood as well.

Suddenly she felt like her entire body was soaked and looked down to see she was covered in blood, their blood. She began shaking and sobbing and crying all at once as he just laughed in front of her. "Look." He commanded. She shook her head while keeping her eyes shut tightly. "Look, Leila." She tentatively opened her eyes only to freeze at the sight before her.

Surrounding HIM were the ghosts of her teammates. But there were others too. Everyone who had ever sacrificed themselves to protect her, all of the people who HE killed because of her, all their ghosts were surrounding him.

"My dear Leila, you should know this by now. A long time ago, I promised to kill anyone who ever tried to help you. If you keep insisting on relying on others, I will keep killing them. We'll see each other soon, my child. And then, I'll make good on my promise, my dear."

Yumi sprang up wide eyed and panting as sweat poured off her body.

"Yumi-san! Are-are you okay, 'teybayo?!" Yumi looked up to see her teammates Naruto and Sasuke very much alive in front of her. They were both squatting down in front of her and both wore curious-yet-worried expressions.

A small strangled cry escaped her throat as her only form of communication. This only seemed to deepen her teammates frown, but before either of them had a chance to say anything Yumi did the one thing no one would have ever expected her to do.

She flung herself at her two comrades, wrapping her right arm around Naruto and her left around Sasuke as she buried her face into the latter's chest. The two of them gasped and stiffened as she grabbed a fistful of their shirts in each hand and sobbed quietly into Sasuke's chest.

And that's exactly how she stayed, shaking and quietly crying into her teammate's shirt as she hugged both of them close to her. She didn't want them to die because of her. It might have just been a dream, but that didn't mean that they were safe. It didn't mean HE wouldn't hunt them down and kill them along with Kakashi.

The thought made her pull them closer to her. She would protect them with her life. HE wouldn't take them away from her. She wouldn't lose her comrades. Not again.

Sasuke and Naruto shared a concerned look, but surprisingly neither of them tried to push her away. After a few moments, Naruto wrapped his left arm around her in an awkward attempt to return her hug. Sasuke stared at Naruto's arm for a moment before he robotically moved his right arm to her back and stiffly placed it there.

"Yumi-chan…..what's wrong?" Naruto asked in a surprisingly soft and kind voice.

Before Yumi got the chance to reply, someone else spoke up. "Is something wrong? Are you three alright?" All three of them looked up to see their sensei standing there.

"Kaka-sensei, what're you doing here?"

"Well, I sent you and Sasuke to go get Yumi, but when the three of you were taking a while to come back I thought I would see what's up. Are you okay, Yumi-san?"

Kakashi had barely gotten the words out of his mouth before Yumi flew out of Naruto and Sasuke's arms and into Kakashi. Kakashi stiffened considerably and his revealed eye widened as Yumi hugged his waist tightly; no longer crying but taking shaky breaths and trembling some.

She only held him for a few moments before pulling away and wiping her eyes with the back of her right hand. "I….I'm gl-glad you aren't de-dead." She stuttered as her body still trembled.

Kakashi's eye widened some more but Yumi turned around to face Sasuke and Naruto before he could respond. "I'm g-glad that all of y-you aren't dead." There was a heavy silence before Yumi hung her head. "I-I should'nt have s-said that…" She said quietly before turning to leave. "I'm sorry…I'm s-so sorry…."

Before she could get away, she felt someone grab her wrist. She turned to see that it was Kakashi and he had a worried expression on his face. Naruto and Sasuke were standing with worried and confused expressions as well.

"What's wrong, Yumi-chan?" Kakashi asked her, his voice _almost _gentle.

Yumi hung her head and gave a small, dry chuckle before wiping away the remaining tears with her free hand. When she looked up, her face was blank and emotionless along with her eyes. "It's nothing. Don't…don't worry about it."

Kakashi's gaze became serious "…You can talk to us…if you need to."

"I know…" She said with a small smile. "Thank you but I'm okay now. I said what I needed to. Can we get something to eat now? I'm kinda starving…"

She gave the most convincing smile she could as her three teammates scrutinized her thoroughly. After a few moments Kakashi released her wrist and spoke up, his tone lighter than before. "Okay, let's go eat then."

Yumi gave a slow nod and walked off towards Tazuna's house. "So…what happened before I came?" Kakashi asked the two remaining Genin.

"I have no idea, dattebayo. She was sleeping when we got here and when she woke up, she just hugged us and started crying."

"Hn." Kakashi said thoughtfully.

"Kakashi-sensei, is Yumi-chan okay?"

"Oh, I'm sure she's fine." Kakashi said as he closed his eye in a smile. "Let's go eat."

* * *

The next morning Yumi _oh so pleasantly_ woke panting in a hot sweat from yet another nightmare. She walked down the hall to the shared bathroom and immediately turned on the sink. She splashed some cold water on her face a couple of times before turning her attention to the mirror.

Frowning at her flustered and panting state, Yumi ran her fingers through her hair a few times waiting for her heart rate to return back to normal before leaving the bathroom. She went back to her room and got dressed and ready for the day before heading downstairs for breakfast.

Kakashi, Tazuna and Tsunami were the only ones in the kitchen and they all greeted her with a small smile. It wasn't long before Sasuke, Inari and Naruto joined and they all dove into their breakfasts silently.

The rest of the day was uneventful; Sasuke and Naruto practiced chakra control by climbing trees and Yumi practiced on increasing her speed. Kakashi stayed with Yumi until after they all had lunch, then he headed over to the bridge to keep an eye on Tazuna just in case. Neither Kakashi nor Yumi thought Zabuza would attack this early, but either way it was better to be safe than sorry.

After a long day of training, Yumi was looking forward to a nice, peaceful dinner before showering and slipping into bed. She had sensed some animosity between her two teammates, Naruto and Sasuke, yesterday while they practiced tree climbing. However, she dismissed it as a stupid little competition that would fade over time.

Never had she been so wrong.

From the moment both Genin came in for the night, they had been glaring at each other non-stop. Naturally, their death stares only intensified once everyone started eating. And once the death glares weren't enough, the two of them started scarfing down whatever food they could lay their hands on in some sort of competition to see who could eat the most.

Yumi groaned as she watched the two of them pile food in their mouths before simultaneously raising their bowls and demanding for more…only to puke up all the food they ate mere seconds after.

"Is this really necessary?" She said with a sigh while eating a spoonful of her own soup.

"Yes…I need to eat." Sasuke said.

"Yea…and I have to eat more than teme. That way I can finally beat him, 'tebayo." Naruto retorted.

"You guys are complete and utter morons." Yumi mumbled as she took a sip of her tea. If she had the energy she would slam both of their heads against the wall right now. But honestly she didn't. She had used up so much chakra today that she had to resort to taking a food pill so that she could keep training, only to burn all of THAT extra chakra up as well. Now feeling the backlash of burning so much chakra and from taking the food pill, she was absolutely exhausted.

The two of them ignored her as they stared each other down and continued eating, at a much more reasonable pace that is. Once everyone was done eating and Tsunami was cleaning the dishes while the remaining people finished their tea, Naruto spoke up.

"Hey, old man, what's up with that picture over there, huh? It looks like someone tore off part of it, ne."

The atmosphere of the room changed instantly. "It's a family portrait. The part that's missing is my husband." Tsunami said quietly while not pausing in her task.

Tazuna sighed before adding "He used to be called the Hero of the Land of Waves…"

Inari immediately rose from the table and left the room with his head hung.

"Inari! Inari, where are you going?" Tsunami called as she made her way after him. Pausing at the door she said "Father, you know you can't talk about him like that in front of Inari!" before leaving the room in a hurry.

After a few moments of heavy and awkward silence, Naruto was the obvious one to break it. "What's going on here, dattebayo? Why is Inari's dad ripped out of the picture?"

Tazuna sighed again before continuing. "He's not his birth father. You see….." Tazuna began his long explanation about Kaiza; how he met Inari, fell in love with Tsunami, saved the village and lastly, was ruthlessly beaten and then publically killed by Gatou to serve as an example of what would happen to anyone who opposed him.

"Inari changed since that day, along with Tsunami and everybody else in the village. Kaiza was our beacon of hope; now that he's dead the villagers are too afraid of Gatou to fight for our home. We have nothing left."

Some more silence passed before Yumi spoke, her eyes glued to the table. "If you ask me….Inari…he's pretty damn lucky…."

Four sets of eyes widened and four heads snapped towards her direction in an instant.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?" Tazuna demanded.

"He lost his father…someone who he loved and cherished very deeply….and I offer my sincerest condolences for that. But….to say that you have nothing left…is nothing but a sick lie."

"WHAT-"

"You have so much….so much to be thankful for. You have friends and family to support and love you. You have a roof to sleep under in this beautiful countryside. You have food to feed your families. You have-"

"WHAT IN TARNATION ARE YOU YAMMERING ON ABOUT!? OUR NATION IS SMALL AND POVERTY STRIKEN! MANY PEOPLE STRUGGLE TO ACQUIRE ENOUGH FOOD TO FEED THEIR FAMILIES AND MANY ARE HOMELESS AS WELL! GATOU HAS SEIZED EVERYTHING OF VALUE IN OUR ONCE THRIVING LAND AND LEFT US WITH NOTHING BUT THE SCRAPS!"

Yumi gave an annoyed sigh before standing up. "If you are too stubborn to see it than I really don't see the point in me explaining myself any further."

"Uhh perhaps you should explain yourself, Yumi-san. Just so everyone is on the same page." Kakashi said in a slightly nervous tone. He was trying to prevent a huge fight from erupting between Yumi and Tazuna.

Yumi sighed again before looking Tazuna dead in the eye, her own eyes devoid of all emotion and her face blank. "You have each other. The death of a loved one is never easy to face, but when you are surrounded by other people who love you and care for you, it makes it so much easier. Inari may have lost his stepfather to Gatou, but he still has his loving mother and caring grandfather to look after him. He still has people in his life who love him and care for him and give a shit whether he is alive or dead and that is more than you can say about some people.

"You are all focusing on your fears; too afraid of Gatou to get up and fight for your families and your land. If you would stop pitying yourselves for a minute you would realize that everyone in the Land of Waves has SOMETHING worth fighting for. If you all stand together, you can defeat Gatou and drive him out of your home once and for all. That's why we are still here. The four of us are putting our LIVES on the line to protect YOU, Tazuna, so that you can finish your bridge. I just want to know that we aren't doing this for nothing. That the people here aren't so afraid of Gatou that they will still cower before him even after the bridge is completed. I want to know that the Land of Waves is worth more than the life of one good man."

There was a short silence before Yumi sighed. "I'm going to sleep now, good night everyone." She left the room and went upstairs to take a nice, hot shower. She didn't take too long seeing as how she was exhausted and immediately crawled into bed the minute she was done.

By midnight she had been violently awoken by her fourth night-terror since she got to the Land of Waves. She ran her fingers through her hair a couple of times before quietly exiting her room and going to the bathroom where she splashed some water on her face again.

Once she felt calmer, Yumi left the bathroom only to hesitate in the hallway. _There really is no point in going back to sleep only to be woken by more nightmares. _Frowning slightly she walked downstairs to the kitchen and filled up a glass of water.

Through the corner of her eye she saw the moon through the window. A small, sad smile took her face. _It's a full moon, just like that night…_Deciding that there was no one else awake and nothing better to do, Yumi put the glass on the counter before quietly leaving Tazuna's house.

She took a few steps from the house before she laid herself down on the chilled grass. Yumi stared silently at the moon for some time when out of nowhere a shooting star flew across the night sky. _Usually people make some kind of stupid wish on a shooting star in hopes that it'll magically come true._

She snorted lightly at the idea. _But, since no one is around, I guess I could try it out. _Yumi closed her eyes and a sudden thought flitted across her mind. Out of all the things she wished for, out of all the things she wanted, for one reason or another, this was the one that crossed her mind.

Before she even got a chance to think about why, a cold voice cut through the air.

"What are you doing out so late?"

Yumi's eyes darted open and she scrambled to her feet to see a much unsuspected person standing in front of the doorway.

"Sasuke…!" She gasped lightly. "What are you doing here?"

"I asked you first, dobe." He replied as he casually strode towards her.

"I…uh…couldn't sleep…." Yumi replied softly while pointedly avoiding eye contact with Sasuke. "I came outside to watch the moon."

"Hn." There was silence for a few moments before Yumi finally gained the courage to speak up.

"Do you want to stay with me?" Sasuke's eyes widened in slight shock and Yumi felt her face grow red as she continued. "To look at the moon, I mean. And the stars. And the sky. I mean, you don't have to of course. I was just, um, wondering if you wanted to…"

To Yumi's surprise, Sasuke gave a sort of half shrug before sitting down on the grass. Yumi took a deep breath before settling herself down on the grass as well. The two of them sat together in a surprisingly comfortable silence for quite some time before Sasuke spoke quietly.

"Why did you do it?" Yumi furrowed her eyebrows and turned to face him. Sasuke avoided contact by staring at the ground but continued in an even yet faint tone. "Back with Zabuza, you were so adamant on saving Kakashi. You even said that you were willing to give your life for him. Why?"

Yumi took a deep, even breath and turned to look up at the moon before replying. "Because I'm selfish."

It was Sasuke's turn to stare at his teammate. "What do you mean? Giving your life to save someone seems pretty selfless to me."

"I guess…I guess it depends how you look at it then." Yumi sighed again. She honestly had no idea why she was telling Sasuke all of this. But, maybe this was exactly what she needed. "I suppose you could say I've seen it before…"

"…Seen what?"

"Death." A chill seemed to cut through the air that made both Yumi and Sasuke stiffen before the former continued. "More specifically, the death of a comrade."

Sasuke shifted his gaze to the ground as his teammate continued. "I…was much younger and, believe it or not, very kindhearted and naïve. But, to see the death of a comrade – a friend; someone whom you had entrusted your life to, and who had done the same to you. To see them…die in front of your very eyes….It changes you.

"Some people say that the greatest pain in life is loneliness. I disagree. The pain of loss is far greater because it causes loneliness and guilt and all of those horrible feelings that stick with you for a lifetime. That's why…why I would put my life on the line to protect Kakashi. Because the pain and guilt of watching him die in front of me…I couldn't take it. I don't ever want to feel that way again. In all honesty, I would rather die myself…"

A powerful breeze cut through the area as Yumi silently added "I would do the same for you, ya know." Sasuke gasped lightly and whipped his head towards her as she whispered. "Both you and Naruto. I would most certainly die to protect you two. We're teammates after all."

Sasuke stared at her for a few minutes as Yumi stared at the moon. "It's late. We should go inside." He finally spoke.

"You can. I…don't want to head in yet. I've been having trouble sleeping."

"…Nightmares?"

Yumi nodded her head. At the moment she didn't care how Sasuke knew or why she was telling him all of this, she was just really grateful she didn't have to be alone.

Sasuke nodded absently and turned his gaze to the sky, and so the two fell back into content silence. After a long time, Yumi stood and let out a yawn. "Okay, I'm ready to go to sleep now."

Sasuke gave a small nod and stood up as the two of them walked back into Tazuna's house. They climbed up the stairs and both of them paused outside their respective doors.

"I never did thank you…for saving my life I mean." Yumi said quietly.

"You don't need to. We're teammates remember?"

"I know…but still…thank you, Sasuke."

Sasuke gave a slow nod and so Yumi turned to her door. Before she could slide the panels open, she heard Sasuke speak. "Were you serious about what you said the other day? How you are Naruto's…Sensei?"

Yumi refaced her teammate, slightly confused by his sudden interest in her relationship with Naruto. "Uh, yeah. At least, I try to be. With missions and training I don't exactly have a lot of spare time, but I do try to help Naruto when I can."

"It shows. Naruto's Taijutsu has improved a lot since he became a member of Team 7."

"Yea, but that's a lot of Kakashi's doing as well. Like I said, I only give him some pointers here and there." Sasuke didn't reply and so Yumi prodded on. "What are you getting at exactly?"

"Nothing." He said curtly while opening his door.

Before Sasuke could slip into his room, Yumi spoke up. "I could help you too. I mean, not like be your Sensei or anything considering there really isn't THAT great of a difference in our skill levels, but we could still train together some time. After all, there's always room for improvement and teammates are supposed to help each other out, ne?"

"Hn." She could have sworn she saw Sasuke smirk slightly, but it was quite dark so there was no way to be entirely sure. Either way, he disappeared into his room shortly after.

"I'll take that as a yes." Yumi said with a smirk. "Oyasumi Sasuke."

Yumi entered her room and lay down in her cot, now feeling infinitely better. She closed her eyes and felt herself smile. _Thank you Sasuke….for fulfilling my wish….I just really needed someone to be with me._

And so Yumi drifted off into a deep slumber that, for some odd reason, was nightmare free.

* * *

**Dictionary**

**Aho: **idiot; dumbass

******Ano/Eto: **um; uh

**Baka: **idiot; fool; stupid

**Arigatou: **thanks

******Baka Busu: **crazy bitch

**Che: **Sasuke's response to almost anything; more of a grunt than an actual word; translated to 'hn' or 'hmpf'

******Chigau: **wrong

**Chikusho: **dammnit!; fuck!

**Dattebayo/'Teybayo: **Naruto's verbal tic or catchphrase; roughly translated to 'believe it'

**Dobe: **dead last; loser; Sasuke's way of addressing Naruto

**Gomen/Summimasen: **sorry

**Kaachan: **you bastard!; you fool!

**Kubikiribōchō: **Zabuza's sword; Executioner's blade

**Kuso: **shit!

**Ojiichan: **Grandpa; Grandfather

**So ka: **I see...

******Teme**: rude way of saying you; roughly translated to 'you bastard!'; Naruto's way of addressing Sasuke

**Touchan: **fathat

**Usuratonkaichi: **idiot; stupid; useless


End file.
